The Double Life of CDC
by MusicChannySkyscraper
Summary: What would you do to keep the one you loved? Maybe live a double life? Well, that's what Chad Dylan Cooper did. Living as both a world-famous celebrity and a normal boy, he tries to keep the girl he loves from discovering his secret... T for safety. R&R!
1. The Beginnings

**A/N: Hi there everyone! Yup, so I've finally begun 'The Double Life of CDC'! Yup, this was the idea I picked, after a lot of thought. And here it is - the first chapter! And I know, I haven't posted the final LWMS yet, but I'm a little stuck and I'll try to get it done soon :) Thanks for all your patience, I hope you enjoy this new story!**

**DC-: I do not own Sonny with A Chance. Which is unfortunate... :(**

**Alright... on we go! Enjoy! ;D**

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><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 1 - The Beginnings**

_What lengths would you go to to keep the one you loved? Maybe lead a double life? Well, that's what I did. I'm TV's Chad Dylan Cooper, the girl I fell for hates my guts. So, what do I do to be with her? Live a double life, as myself and as a regular guy called "Mack Goldfarb". It's difficult, but if I wasn't Mack Goldfarb, I couldn't keep the one I love. I know… it's a long and complicated story… so let me explain from the beginning…_

Chad's POV

"OK, people, that's a wrap!" The director yells as I let go of Chastity's clammy hands and leave the stage, to get to my vanity. I was just dying to get off that set. The final day of filming for that ridiculous Mack Falls special for some stupid holiday. What is it again? Oh yeah. Halloween. Halloween sucks.

The director, Jenny, tells us that we were fantastic (I _was_ pretty good… as usual, duh), before saying that we are to rehearse the next episode after the break. Jenny is a mid-thirties woman, with dark brown hair and greyish-blue eyes, and she scans the room as she talks, focusing many times on me with slightly beady eyes. It's kind of creepy.

"Oh, and so you know," She says, eying me specifically, "The new assistant is starting today. And she's new to Hollywood, so make her feel welcome."

I roll my eyes and sigh. "Whatever."

Why should I care about the new assistant anyway? I'm Chad Dylan Cooper; I don't need to think about this new girl. I barely remember the names of my cast-mates. Maybe a few of them, like Ferguson, probably the only other worthy cast-member and my good friend. He notices I'm talented and respects that. And then I remember Chastity's name, only coz I hate her guts.

"OK then, everyone take a break, back in five." Jenny sighs, when she finally realises none of us are listening to her, tucking a brown strand of hair behind her ear, and everyone walks off the set; some to talk to others, some to go to their dressing rooms. I am one of the ones who heads to my dressing room, not wanting to talk to any of these losers.

"Chaddyyyy!"

Oh, crap.

FYI, there is one more name I remember…

A snake-like arm wraps around my back, and a voice to match whispers into my ear.

"You were great back there…" My (ugh) _girlfriend, _Portlyn, coos. Now, I know what you're thinking – why would I, the brilliant CDC, date that pig of a girl, Portlyn Madison? Well, before all my fan-girls out there get jealous – I'm forced to date her. For stupid publicity. I shouldn't have to date her – I could have any girl I wanted – but my boss said he'd fire me if I didn't.

Stupid. I know. CDC shouldn't be _told _what to do.

"You're such an amazing actor…" Portlyn is saying, stroking my back. I shudder. _Ugh_. I'd hate to know what's going on in her mind.

"Obvious points aside…" I roll my eyes, "I'm gonna go chill out in my dressing room. Later."

I start to walk off, but Portlyn is so persistent.

"Will you miss me?" She shouts over to me.

"Sure." I shout back.

_Ha. Yeah, right…_

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><p>I come back after a little chilling time in my dressing room, ready for the next few scenes, feeling my usual awesome self. Then, suddenly, I bump into a girl, who's facing the other way. Rather, the girl bumps into me – I'm not gonna take the blame when I'm too important to be blamed for something like that.<p>

"Watch it." I warn, avoiding her and heading to my make-up chair, where my make-up artist is waiting. However, it seems the girl doesn't know what 'watch it' means in my vocab, because she follows me over, hovering over my shoulder like a pesky bug while the make-up artist touches it up. I don't get a look at the annoying bug-girl, I'm too busy checking I look my usual best, but I'm pretty sure by the aura she's sending off that she's smiling. Beaming, pretty much. A blindingly bright beam.

"Hi!" She beams, "You're Chad Dylan Cooper!"

"Indeed I am," I say, still not focusing on her, "Is that all you came here for?"

"Oh, no," She laughs, "I'm just here to introduce myself. I'm the new assistant, Sonny." She holds her hand out to me, and I ignore it. What am I supposed to do – shake it? No, thanks. She puts the hand down, "…Uh, Sonny Munroe."

"Whatever." I say, straightening the front of my Mackenzie blazer and checking my teeth in the mirror. What? Antisocial? Shut up. Why should I care about this girl anyways? She's not important. She's the lousy assistant.

"Um…okay then," She squeaks, slightly dumbfounded, before putting on an overly-enthusiastic voice. Ugh. She's _that_ type of girl… the Chastity type. The type I absolutely can't _stand_. "Well, if there's anything you need, anything at all, just ask!"

"Sure." I say as a bib is placed around my neck. She still doesn't leave.

"Well, uh, I'd better go…bye."

"Wait a sec." I say, and she turns back. I see out of the corner of my eye her hair flick back. Ah, a brunette. Okay then. Better than Chastity's rat's tails she calls hair. Then again, no-one can beat blondes, or better yet, _this_ blonde. Me, duh.

"Yeah?"

"Since you're here to serve me, how about you get me a coffee from the cafeteria?"

The girl looks confused, "Coffee…?"

"Yeah. My usual. You're gonna need to know this. Best get a pad and pen."

She then drags something out of her pocket. Wow. She _has_ a pad and pen, on her. Can this girl get more annoying?

"You were saying?" She squeaks, the pen hovering over the paper hesitantly.

"Alright," I take a breath, "A grande caffe mocha, extra dry, half-skimmed, half-full milk… ooh, and make sure it's no sugar and no whipped cream – don't want to get _fat. _And make sure they add the sprinkle of cocoa powder at the end – but only a sprinkle. Once again – don't want to gain too much weight."

"Um…" She bites her lip, "Can you start again? I can't write that fast…"

I roll my eyes, "Well, _learn_ to write faster. You're gonna serve me, you've gotta get this right."

I hear her make a small squeaking noise, before she speaks timidly, "Uh, sorry to disappoint you, Mr Cooper…_Chad_…"

"Mr Cooper…" I correct.

"R- Right…" She says, slightly hesitating, "Well, uh, sorry to disappoint you, _Mr Cooper_, but I'm not here to _serve_ you – that's not exactly my job description…"

I raise an eyebrow, before saying, "Do you _want _to make a good impression here?"

"Well…"

"Or would you rather leave here faster than you arrived?"

She sighs, before I see her smile out of the corner of my eye, and I try to ignore the fact that her teeth are pretty good. Then again, so what? Mine are better.

"Anything, Sir." She says, before turning to leave.

"Oh, and while you're at it…" I stop her, "There's a pile of letters and stuff in my dressing room I can't be asked to deliver… you can do it for me."

"…Right."

She leaves quickly and I grin, relaxing in my chair before the director calls me up for a scene.

Sonny's POV

I smile at the cafeteria lady who hands me a cup of coffee for Chad, or Mr Cooper, or whatever his name is.

I hate to say it, but Chad Dylan Cooper is a real _jerk_. No lie. This isn't the way I imagined meeting him to be, but sadly, it was exactly the way it was. And it was awful. Gosh, why couldn't he have been sweet, like his character on his show?

_Mackenzie Falls…_behind So Random, Mackenzie Falls is my favourite show. I love Mackenzie – he's so sweet and kind, not to mention good-looking, and I thought to be so good at what he does, Chad Dylan Cooper had to at least have more than just the _looks_ of Mackenzie. Sadly, it's all acting. Maybe he is he greatest actor of his generation…

So, basically, I am now the assistant at a show whose star is a total egomaniac.

Great.

So, this springs up the question, what could make this day worse? _NO! Don't say that Sonny! You'll end up having some horrible thing happen to you, like in all the movies! Do you really want that?_ Ooh…too late. Sorry, voice in my head.

…THUMP!

During my little argument with myself, I take my eyes off the direction I'm walking in, which proves to be a mistake. I bump into a person, sending both me and Chad Dylan Cooper's coffee flying. Ooh, great. I'm dead. Gonna have to go back to the cafeteria to get _another _grande mocha thingamajig…

I fall back onto the floor, falling into a sticky puddle of hot liquid, and look up sharply to see if anyone else has been hit with the coffee. When I notice the boy stood in front of me, clothes (a uniform, it seems) stained with coffee, fuming, I bite my lip.

I'm deader than dead.

Chad Dylan Cooper scowls menacingly at me. Froth and coffee pours down his Mackenzie blazer and tie, and I cringe. Wow, first day at work, and by the look in Chad's eyes, something tells me I'm about to get fired.

"New assistant, right?"

I roll my eyes secretly, trying to be brave. But my voice cracks at the last second. "M-My name is _Sonny_."

"Whatever," He waves his hand around dramatically in a 'don't care' attitude, "You've got on the wrong side of me already. And you should know it's not a good thing to get on the wrong side of Chad Dylan Cooper. You've got one more chance at this job."

"Don't I get…three chances?" I ask, "You know, like _three strikes, you're _out?" I chuckle, smiling meekly, but Chad is not impressed. Obviously he's not a comedy person. He shakes his head at me in dissatisfaction.

"One chance." He says, "Or you're gone."

He turns away, leaving me to go red in front of everyone looking.

"Oh, and…" He turns back, still furious, "Sally?"

"_Sonny."_

"Sally, Sonny, Sunday," He laughs humourlessly, "I _don't_ care. Clean this up."

He walks away, head high, and I pull a face at his back. I'm thankful that he didn't see it though, and immediately rearrange my face back into its normal features.

OK, so if there's one thing I've learnt today, it's this:

I already _hate _Chad Dylan Cooper.

My next response after my humiliation is to run straight into the bathroom, to clean myself up and gather some tissues to clean the coffee pool in the middle of the Mackenzie Falls stage so no-one slips and I don't get yelled at again.

I stop to look in the bathroom mirror in my hurry and notice I look like a total mess. My mascara is running down my face, and the ends of my hair are wet and sticky. My cheeks, streaked with black mascara, are an embarrassing shade of red, whether from how hot the coffee was or how humiliated I was, I don't know. I see my eyes are red too, and I immediately understand. Through everything that was going on, I ended up crying. I wash my face with cold tap water, but that doesn't make much of a change. My face is still flushed red, and my eyes are bloodshot.

Great.

I burst into tears again, because I feel like I'm failing my job already, all because of Chad Dylan Cooper.

"Uh, hell-oo?"

A wary female voice comes from one of the three toilet cubicles behind me, and I gasp quietly. Someone's been here the whole time.

"Are you okay out there?"

"Yeah," I say, speeding up my clean-up, hoping not to get caught crying. I'm in Hollywood now – I need to look strong. "I'm…I'm fine."

I suddenly feel someone tap my shoulder, and I turn around to see Chastity Ann Dewitt, who plays Chloe in Mackenzie Falls.

Great. If she's anything like Chad, I'm in for a real _treat_.

"You don't look fine," She says, taking my head softly in her hands, "Are you sure?"

I sigh. She's caught me. "Okay, so I'm a wreck. I get it. It's just… don't repeat this, but that _stupid _Chad Dylan Cooper…he's ruining my first day at work."

"Oh, trust me," She laughs, "He ruins _everyone's _first day at work. Believe me – I was the new girl, before you showed up. My first day, I ended up being forced on a coffee run – the exact thing that happened to you, happened to me. Only I ended up annoying Chad so much, he had a fit and stormed off to his dressing room because I was 'doing it wrong'."

I blink, and suddenly realise. Chastity's on my side. "I'm sorry about that."

She shrugs, "It's okay. You'll get used to his diva-ish ways."

I laugh, "I called him a diva too! Not to his face though…"

"Good." She laughs, "I'd hate to see anything happen to you." She pauses, scanning me with kind eyes, before saying, "I like you, Sonny." She grins, "How'd you like to be friends?"

I grin back, finally feeling worth something for the first time since I stepped foot on the Mackenzie Falls set.

"I'd like that." I say, and she beams.

"Awesome." She says, "Now…let's clean you up a bit…"

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><p><strong>AN: There you go! :) That's the first chapter! Soo... thoughts so far? I know it wasn't an overly-long chapter, but it was long enough for what I wanted to happen.**

**So, tell me your thoughts! If I get some good reviews, I'll keep it comin'! :D**

**~Amy x**


	2. Warnings and The Disguise

**A/N: Hi! It's me! I know - I updated! I'm very proud of myself :')**

**I just had to update because I had to thank y'all for your amazing reception to this story! And it's not an impressively long chapter, but hey - it's a chapter, right? Now, let's get this A/N out of the way - I have a lot of people to say hi to and/or thank :)**

**To 'LaLaLaLaLaAlice' - Hey! Your reviews are great and always make me laugh, so I thought it was time I finally said hi, and thank you! Typing with your nose? Heh, that's impressive ;D LOL.**

**To 'Emmar' - Thanks to you too! Another anon reviewer - aww, I love you anon reviewers! Most of you are so darn sweet :D**

**And to those of you who asked when Chad was gonna start liking Sonny, or when the double life bit will come... all in due time, my lovelys ;D**

**Dedication for this chap goes to MrB.o.B1990 - For helping a little with the scene between Chad and Portlyn, and for cheering me up today because of my rainy-day day-before-school blues. Thank you bro! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonny with A Chance. Can we just get on with it? This A/N's long enough... -_- Really? It's starting now? Ooh, yay! :D Enjoy ;D**

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><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 2 - Warnings and The Disguise**

Chad's POV

"And cut!"

Ugh. This is possibly the worse day of work ever. And it's not my fault. Nope, it's everyone else's.

First, that new assistant, Honey, Sammy, whatever her name is, she's getting everything wrong. She really has a lot to learn. She's lucky I'm a forgiving guy, or she'd have been fired 10 minutes after she was hired. Plus, she's made friends with Chastity, which means she's made an enemy of me. No-one's safe if they make an enemy of Chad Dylan Cooper.

And, when filming ends for the late afternoon, and when the intercom voice hastily calls me to come to Mr Condor's office immediately, I have a hunch my day's about to get even _worse_.

I stride into the office to see my boss, his usual scowl fixed on his face. I suddenly feel like a dark cloud is hanging above my head, and a tiny hint of fear (_very _tiny. Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't get scared) scratches at my chest as I take a seat in front of his desk.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" I ask, my voice dripping with boredom. I bite my lip and hope that he didn't hear it… if I do one thing to tick this guy off, he'll have me kicked out of here. But, that's not likely to happen. The guy _needs _me. My show is the only _decent_ one filmed here.

Mr Condor sits forward in his chair, scanning me. He raises an eyebrow, and I sigh, biting my cheeks to stop me from saying something I might regret. Finally, he speaks.

"Yes, Mr Cooper, I did want to speak to you." He says.

I refrain from rolling my eyes. "Okay…" I say, "Go ahead then." He glares at me. "Sir." I add as a kiss-up.

Mr Condor begins to scan me again. I keep my expression flat, trying to not tick him off. He reaches for a drawer in his desk, keeping his eyes on me, and pulls out a magazine, _Tween Weekly_, throwing it in my direction. It lands in front of me on the desk, and I pick it up to see a picture of me, from a few nights ago, outside a Hollywood teen's club. It looks like the night when I told those paparazzi to… in fact, no, I won't repeat my exact words. But it was pretty funny. Those jerks deserved it. And that one whose camera I chucked on the floor and wrecked… ha. Sucker.

Obviously, Mr Condor is not amused by the whole incident. His arms are folded, his scowl firm, and I suddenly feel very uncomfortable.

"I'm not happy, Mr Cooper." He says. "I am sick and tired of seeing you with all this bad press! Do you know what it does for the studio?"

I stay quiet.

"You are a brilliant actor, Mr Cooper…" _Duh, _"…but this image of yours is not good for our studio! You realise I had to pay that man for his camera you broke, out of your pay?"

I gasp silently, but don't object.

"Chad." He groans, "My point is… you need to stop with all this bad press."

"How am I meant to do that?" The words slip out of my mouth, and then I slam it shut. Too late.

"I don't know." He says. "Perhaps stay out of the press for a while." He pauses, thinking it through. "Yes, stay out of the press, for the next couple of weeks, or maybe the next month."

_The next month? How the heck am I meant to stay out of trouble for a whole month?_

"That means – no bad press, none whatsoever." Condor is saying.

"Um… what happens if I don't go along with this?" I ask, and he sighs solemnly.

"If you are seen with bad press…" He says, "I will have no choice. You will be fired."

My mouth drops open, and I try to protest but it all comes out as a stutter, "Mr Condor… you can't, I mean, what I'm trying to… you can't fire _me_!"

He sighs at my outburst, and I settle back into my chair, folding my arms like a child, annoyed. "I'm sorry, Chad." He says, "But this is my only option. I'll give you three chances. Blow those, and you're out."

I roll my eyes again, "Why give me the chances? Why don't you just kick me out now?"

I bite my lip, regretting my words. Condor doesn't seem awfully fazed. He raises an eyebrow, unblinking, before saying, "Go back to work, Mr Cooper."

"Yes, Sir." I say, much more timidly this time at a fear of losing my job. I know I said I fear nothing… well, I may have lied a little. I fear losing my job. I fear becoming a sad nobody.

Of course, that's not gonna happen to _me_… as long as I'm careful about this bad press thing, anyways.

I walk back into the Mackenzie Falls, ignoring that Sandy girl as she greets me, going the opposite way with a couple of mugs in her hands. I'm not in the mood to get in a conversation with her. I mean, why would I put myself through the torture of talking to her at a time like this, especially considering how similar she is to Chastity… I have to do enough listening to Chastity's droning voice… and Portlyn's, too.

Oh, speak of the devil.

"Chaddy!"

My hellish girlfriend squeals in my ear from behind me, almost deafening me. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I have to rip her off me to prevent me being strangled and suffocated. She slithers to the front of me, smiling that sickly sweet smile. Like a viper. Ew.

"Cha-_ad_, you won't believe it; I have the most a-_may_-zing news!"

Ugh. Why must she pronounce _every _syllable like I'm an idiot? And 'Chad' is one syllable, surprisingly. Well, it's easy to see Portlyn never planned to be a brain surgeon when she was growing up.

"What is it?" I ask uninterestedly, rubbing the bridge of my nose. I feel a headache coming on.

"I invited the paparazzi to do some big story on us!" She squeals, "Isn't that awesome? They're coming in ten minutes or so! This is so _exciting_!"

I roll my eyes to the ceiling. "Did you even think to ask me about this, Port?" I ask. It comes out sounding rather angry, but I don't mind.

She shrugs, smiling in a way that _she _thinks is attractive, "I just thought you'd love the attention!"

Why does she make me sound like an attention-craving weirdo? Well, I do like the attention… but still. Not _now_, considering Condor told me to stay out of the bad press only a few _minutes_ ago.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" I say to her. Ha, that felt good.

She gapes at me. "I thought you'd like a little publicity!"

"No; frankly, I'm not interested, Port!" I stage-yell, trying to not call attention to myself. "I'm trying to stay _out _of the press, thanks, and, if I'm being honest, being seen with you is _not_ what I'd call good publicity. Quite truthfully, if I could pick whether to continue dating you or not, I'd be out of here faster than you can say…" I grin evilly and decide to finish my sentence with a yell, "_Portlyn has a_ _fake tan_!"

Eyes turn our way suddenly, and Portlyn gasps, her eyes darting between each pair staring at her in disbelief, before turning to me and gritting her teeth, "That was supposed to be a _secret!_"

I laugh, and lean in close to her, winking, "Not anymore."

I smile at her, one last time, fake and smug, before turning and walking off.

Stupid _freaking _attention seeking girlfriend. Condor literally _just_ told me to stay out of the press… ten minutes later – whoop-de-doo! I get some press, thank to her. Although… Condor said no _bad _press… then again, being seen with Portlyn _is _bad press.

Yeah… I've gotta get out of this.

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><p>"Ferguson." I burst into his dressing room a few minutes later (which, by the way, is not as big as mine), "I need your help!"<p>

"Nightmare girlfriend again?" He asks, his eyes not leaving the TV screen in front of his couch. I laugh. He knows me too well.

"Yup." I sigh, taking a seat next to him on the couch.

"What did she do this time?"

"Two words for you." I say, "Papa. Razzi."

Ferguson blinks, "So?"

"So? Condor just told me to stay _outta_ the press. Especially bad press."

"And being seen with Portlyn is bad press because…?"

I sigh. Yeah, he still has a lot to learn, "She's _Portlyn. _Would _you _want to show yourself off with _her, _of all people, as your _girlfriend_?"

He pauses, his mouth open a little as if he wants to say something, and then he shuts it again. "Good point." He mumbles. "Especially since I heard she's out there, talking to them right now, and she's saying something about you being a bad boyfriend."

Oohh… crap. Crap, crap, crap, crap, _crap_…

"Yeah… I kind of just fought with her a few minutes ago, so that's understandable… wait, were did you hear it?"

He holds up his phone, "Chastity called me. She said Portlyn's really peeved at you…"

"Yeah…" I wince, "But it was worth that look on her plastic_, orange _little face…"

Ferg smirks. "Wish I'd been there, bro. So, back on subject, what are you gonna do to get out of this?"

"I… don't know." I groan, after a few seconds of thought. I get up from my seat on the couch and pace in front of him.

"Hmm…" Ferg sighs, "It would be good if you could just put on a disguise and get out of there unnoticed."

I pause, thinking his suggestion through in my head. I turn slowly to Ferg, a cartoon-like grin on my face.

"I think you're onto something, dude."

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><p>A few minutes later, Ferg and I leave his dressing room with a plan in mind. We're gonna go to So Random <em>(ugh) <em>and see if they have any suitable disguise for me. I would settle for some Mack Falls costume, but that would make me even _more _recognisable. That's not what I want.

We're tip-toeing across the hallways – no-one else seems to be here, apart from a few cleaners and other minor workers. Ooh, and Portlyn, who's probably outside, chatting up a young paparazzo with mediocre looks.

_Yuck_.

I check my watch – 5:44pm. I never stick around this late. I'm usually chilling at home right now, but I can't go out there - not with all the paps. I'll get caught, interrogated, and then a piece on me and Portlyn will show up in tomorrow's news and one of Condor's three strikes will be gone. Huh, I sound like that assistant-girl…

Ferguson and I creep into the So Random stage, and soon enough, we find the costume room. It's pretty big, and has a phenomenal amount of clothing, costumes, and who-knows-what else. Ferguson roots through a pile of clothes (you don't think I'm gonna look through that _funny _stuff myself, do you?), and I find a shelf stocked with fake glasses and sunglasses. I pick the most decent-looking pair – dark, to hide my easy-to-recognise, blue eyes. Ferg throws me a dark blue hoodie, which looks decent enough, and I slip it over my head, adding the sunglasses as a finishing touch.

"That'll do!" I say to Ferg, looking at myself in the full-length mirror. "How do I look? Unrecognisable?"

He pulls a face, "Not even close! Dude, at least wear a wig or something!"

My eyes widen, "A wig?" I smirk, "Over this hair? Nu-huh!"

He rolls his eyes and throws me a brown wig anyway, and I sigh and slip it on my head, hiding my blonde hair. I look in the mirror and half-smile. My eyes are unrecognisable as their usual color – thanks to the dark shades – a small strand of blonde hair sticks out of the wig, and I tuck it in carefully, messing with the wig a little to make it look a little more natural before putting the hood up to cover my face a bit better. I turn to Ferg, who's rubbing his chin in thought, before he smiles and gives me a thumbs up.

"Perfect."

* * *

><p>So we have a plan - Ferguson is going to see Portlyn and the paparazzi to tell them I have work to do for some sad sappy charity case and that I can't see them right now. Basically, he's gonna make me look the opposite of what Portlyn is apparently portraying to the paparazzi at this very moment.<p>

I watch it from behind the corner of a wall, grinning as Ferg bustles up to Portlyn and the little crowd of people with cameras, who are all sat on the leather couches in the Mackenzie Falls lounge area. Portlyn gets up when she sees him, face like thunder.

"Where's your annoying friend?" She stage-whispers, I can only just hear her. Ferg shrugs, a look of confusion on his face. I hold in a laugh. Yep, Ferg's a great friend – he's also the only other worthy actor.

"Chad?" Portlyn hisses through her teeth, "My so-called _boyfriend_?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ferguson smiles innocently, "Yeah, he can't make it, he's busy."

"Oh…" Portlyn pouts, turning to the paparazzi, trying to look sad, "Too busy for his… dear, dear _girlfriend_?"

The paparazzi mumble between them, and I roll my eyes. Portlyn grins, obviously impressed with her amateur acting.

Ferg sighs, "Oh, he wanted to come, Port, he really did." He says. Aw, ain't it great when friends lie through their teeth for you, huh? "Unfortunately, something came up. You see…" He turns to the paparazzi, addressing them with a friendly smile, "Chad has been working with the orphanage down the road for a couple of days now."

The paparazzi mutter amongst themselves approvingly, but Portlyn seems less convinced. "Oh really?" She asks with accusing eyes.

"Oh, yeah!" Ferg grins, "He's all about helping those less fortunate than him." Another lie. Bravo, Ferguson Michaels, bravo! "He's just doing a little work in his office for them…" I don't even _have _an office! Offices are lame. Boring. CDC don't roll like that.

"Will he be out soon?" One of the paparazzi pipes up, a tall man with dark hair and skin. Ferg sighs solemnly.

"Afraid not." He says, "You'll have to come back another day, if it's Chad you're after."

The paparazzi all groan and get up, heading to the door, obviously annoyed to not have the opportunity to interview yours truly. Eh, I don't blame them. But now that's out of the way, I have a mission to complete.

I have to escape out of here, unrecognised.

I stumble back out into the corridor; opposite to the direction the paparazzi are headed. Following the signs out, with my fake visitors' pass in case I'm spotted by security guards, I somehow find myself around the back alleyway of the studio about 15 minutes later, between Stage 5 and Stage 6. Keeping my hood up and my head down, I meander through the alleyways, trying to find my way back into the open, without passing the paparazzi. But I get lost and find myself in front of a door that says "Stage 3 – So Random", with no other place to go apart from backwards.

Great. I've almost made a complete circle. Yup, I don't know the back side of Condor Studios at all.

Aggravated, I open the door to So Random, my eyes fixed permanently on the ground with a few occasional glance up to see where I'm going. I round a corner, back into familiar territory, closer to Mackenzie Falls, when I collide with something.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

Rather, someone.

"Watch where you're going, you-" I bark, but I bite back my words as I glance up.

Paper scatters the floor, and a dark figure in front of me stumbles and falls to the ground.

"Oh, oh, what a mess…" The female voice mumbles, "This is happening a lot to me, lately…" The voice is rather familiar – only recently familiar, but still. I glance over the rim of my dark sunglasses, to get a look at this person I've sent falling to the floor, and when I get the first proper look, my mouth drops open. I swallow loudly.

The girl has shining, brown eyes, which are darting around at the papers scattered on the floor. Her brown hair frames her face like a priceless painting. Her features – her face, her eyes, her figure – are perfect, and I have to do a double-take before I can confirm she's actually there, in front of me… real.

But she is real. She is there.

And she is beautiful.

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><p><strong>AN: Heh. Heh. I know, I'm evil ;D**

**But hey - cliffhangers are fun ;D Don't judge me. Okay, so they're fun to write, not fun to read, I know. Soo... how about a deal? Review, and I'll get the next chapter up super-soon! :D**

**Ooh, and don't worry about my other multi-chaps - I'm working on them! But I'm back to... ugh... _school_ tomorrow, so it might start to get hard again. Sorry, but I will try as hard as I can! :)**

**Love you all, please review! :D**

**~Amy x**


	3. Beautiful

**A/N: Heyyy... I'm here, posting for the weekend! **

**Heheh, I knew I couldn't leave you guys hanging like that, so hear it is... the next chappie of The Double Life of CDC! But first, some review replies...**

**k.98'PeaceOutSuckas - Ahhh! You're back! I'm so happy :D And, you know, I dunno if you saw it, but I got your penname wrong in QTO... I know, I suck. Lol. I'm just... so... happy! C'mon, gimme a hug! *opens arms* Lo-c-ve ya!**

**Slinky Flower The Lovatic - Haha, I know, it was a bit like StarStruck! SWACStruck? Dude, that's this story's second name now ;D Ooh, and I tried PM'ing you once, but it won't let me coz you've disabled it! Pleeeeaaaassssseeeee able PM'ing, for me? :D Love you :D**

**CyrusLovatoLover - Thanks! No... I checked, I did say she was a brunette. I think... besides, I'm not saying it is Sonny! Or am I...? ****Lol, I was actually laughing at how many people thought the girl might be Sonny! Ha HA! xP We shall see, won't we...? ;P**

**DC: I do own Sonny with A Chance... Hey, did I tell you guys I'm a really bad liar? :P **

**Anyways... here it is. Chapter 3.**

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><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 3 - Beautiful**

Chad's POV

I'm frozen, for an uncountable number of seconds. Maybe even minutes. The girl scrambles up onto her feet, but she's so beautiful, she makes it look like a gracious art form. She blushes, bright red, eyes fixed on the mess at her feet, before she collapses again, to her knees, to collect up the papers. I decide to take this as an opportunity. She's familiar… if I can just _talk _to her… maybe I could figure out where I know her from…

I fall down onto my knees, my eyes the same level as hers, but she is obviously embarrassed, and can't keep her eyes off the floor. I gather some of the papers, to help her, as she speaks. Her voice… it's so angelic…

"I'm so sorry…" She says, "I'm such a klutz, I'm always doing this…"

"No, it was my fault." I protest. Since when were things my fault? Well, since now, apparently. "I wasn't looking where I was going, and-"

"Neither was I." She says with a sad chuckle. "Besides, these kinds of things are always my fault…"

"Hey…" I say, lifting her chin to look at me. I peer at her over the rim of the sunglasses, smiling kindly. She smiles shyly, twirling a length of hair around her index finger, which seems to be a nervous habit, because she stops suddenly and tutts at herself. Seriously, where do I know this girl from…? "Don't say that! Who told you that?" I ask her softly. She sighs, the smile fading.

"I don't know…" She says. "It's just… everything seems to be _my fault, _since I got here."

I frown, feeling sorry for the girl, but I am still hypnotised by her looks… even sad, she possesses a sort of sorrowful beauty…

And again… since when did _I _think of girls like this? Girls are usually hot. Or not. Never 'sorrowfully beautiful', never 'angelic'… what is _with _me?

Whatever it is that's suddenly possessed me, though, it doesn't stop there. I take all of the papers out of her hands, putting them under my right arm. I hold out my left hand, take hers in it, but she pulls away. She looks nervous, anxious. I suppose that's understandable… she's a teenage girl, alone in a semi-dark room with a stranger who's wearing dark shades and a hoodie, trying to hide his face. This could be making her think anything.

"Don't worry," I say, lifting the hood from on top of my head. I'm suddenly grateful for the wig, or I would've been exposed as myself rather than this disguise boy, and this girl, more likely than not, would freak out because she's talking to the amazing CDC. "I'm not gonna hurt you." I promise her. She looks at me, and then my hand, hesitantly, before taking it and holding it tight. I help her up onto her feet, kissing the hand that I'm holding like a gentleman _(Gentleman?)_. She blushes, smiling that shy smile once more. I hand her back the pile of papers, smiling back friendlily to her.

She looks at me for a few seconds, scanning me, and I feel a little uncomfortable. She starts from my black and blue-colored sneakers (also from the So Random costume room), and when she reaches my eyes, she tries to look past the dark glasses that obstruct them, but she does not succeed, and instead, she smiles happily.

"So…" She says, "Um, hi!"

My lips twist into a small grin. "H-hi." I stutter… _stutter! Really, me? Really?_ Yes, voice in my head. Now shut up. I'm listening to _her…_

She giggles bashfully, twirling the length of hair again. "…Hi." She repeats, before shaking her head, like she's coming out of a trance. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself…" She holds out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Sonny." **(Okay... you got me... it was Sonny :P)**

It all hits me at that moment. S-Sonny? As in, the assistant, Sonny? I… I didn't even know she was this… this _beautiful… _I haven't even noticed her properly until now… now that it's just us… no work, no stupid girlfriend, no spilt coffee, no… _Chad Dylan Cooper. _Just the beautiful Sonny… and Chad Dylan Cooper's disguise.

"Sonny…" I breathe, "That's a…" I laugh anxiously, "great name."

She giggles again, blushing redder than before.

"You're the new assistant at Mackenzie Falls, right?" I ask, just to confirm my suspicions. She nods.

"That's right!" She beams. "Sonny Munroe! Gosh, I didn't know even the assistants on this show got famous!"

I laugh. She's funny _too_? Why is life so unfair? Surely no-one can be this perfect…"No, I was just wondering, because…" Oops. C'mon… excuse, excuse, excuse… "Because I used to be the assistant there too."

Her eyes widen, along with her smile, "Really?" She squeaks. I nod, trying to smile. I'm digging a hole here. Whoops. "Wow, that's awesome! Maybe you can give me some pointers…"

Not realising what I'm saying, I open my mouth and let more lies pour out, "Yeah, maybe sometime I could help you, if you ever needed it, that is! I'm sure you're great at your job!"

The smile fades and she shrugs. "Um… I don't know… to be honest, it seems like I can get nothing right…"

I bite my lip, "Why?"

"The cast…" She mumbles, "Not… many of them like me. Well, one of them seemed to take an instant dislike to me."

"Which?" I gasp, making a mental note to yell at, and throw a punch at, whoever it was.

She shrugs, "It doesn't matter. How rude of me… I haven't even asked for your name!"

I let my mouth hang open, "M-my name?" She nods, interestedly. She's suddenly gone from an angel to a puppy… a begging… _cute _puppy. "My name is…" _C'mon think! _I let my eyes wander around, before landing on a Mack Falls poster. "Mack." I say.

"Mack…" She repeats, "Ha, that's nice! Mack what?"

Um… _say something! Anything? C'mon, dude, you got yourself into this… just… use your name! _My name? _Your real name. _I told you to never mention that name!

I smile awkwardly at Sonny, "Goldfarb." I exhale, gritting my teeth, "Mack Goldfarb."

"Goldfarb…" She says, saying it slowly, digesting the information, and then she looks up at me with that bright smile. _Ah, too cute! _"I like it!" Curse her. Curse her for being so charming and cute and down-right beautiful, and curse her for liking a name that I can't _stand_.

"Thanks." I say anyway, trying to stop myself from gazing into those chocolate-brown eyes… but she just looks so damn _incredible…_

Sonny blinks, her brown eyes shining. She looks up at me from under her long lashes; shy, sweet. She then tutts quietly to herself, before giving me that dazzling smile one more time. I wonder if she knows the power she has over guys… surely, I'm not the only guy she's done this to before. Maybe she's a witch… in fact, no, scratch that; she's too beautiful and too sweet to be a witch…

"I should get back to my work." She says, and it's this moment when I remember all that work she was given earlier… mostly by me. That also makes remember this whole day… Gosh, I've been so hard on her… and on her first day too!

"Don't worry about it…" I say, catching her wrist as she begins to walk off. She turns her head back and raises an eyebrow. "I'm sure you'll be fine to leave it." I add kindly.

She blinks at me, as if I'm mad. "B-but it's my work…"

"Don't worry." I say, laughing a little, which seems to charm her. "I've worked here before… I'm sure you'll be safe if you leave it till tomorrow."

Sonny scans me for a second, and for a short moment I'm sure she's caught me. Has she figured out who I _really _am? She then stops with the strange looks and the smile returns. Ahh… what a pretty smile…

"Thanks." She says, "It was nice meeting you, Mack."

"You too, Sonny…" I say as she walks off.

_Wow_…

Sonny's POV

_Mack Goldfarb… _there's something different about that boy, that's for sure.

I was sure he looked familiar… kind of… I just couldn't quite put my finger on it… but if I know one thing's for sure, he's more different than every boy I've ever met. He was… really gentlemanly, which was unexpected for a Californian boy (though I know I'm being a bit stereotypical there…), and he was looking at me… funny.

He's… interesting. I really hope I see him again, that's for sure.

And then, the next morning when I get into work, I know I haven't seen the last of him…

I rushed this morning, almost forgetting to have breakfast… and also almost leaving the house in my pyjamas. Yeah… but I knew that I had to get to work early so I could finish the work _Mr Cooper _had given me. He got me to put a bunch of random letters into envelopes and stick on random addresses and post them. Why? I don't know. Personally, I think he should do it. Then again, he is _the greatest actor of his generation… _probably too _important_ to send his own letters.

Ugh. I really don't like all these bigheaded-celebrity types. _Especially _Chad Dylan Cooper. He's the worst I've ever met.

I arrive at Mr Cole's office (he's the executive producer for Mackenzie Falls), immediately apologising for not finishing my work, before asking for it back. He passes me back a bunch of envelopes, but nothing else. I flick through the stack – they're all sealed in envelopes, with the addresses written in neat hand. Then, at the bottom of the pile, a bright yellow post-it note stuck onto the final letter catches my eye.

_Sonny,_

_Thought I'd give you a hand, since you've only been here a day or so. So, I've sorted out all the letters for you. I'm sure you can do the last part and post them, right? _

_See you soon._

_Mack. :)_

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><p><span>Chad's POV<span>

I walk into work the next day in a trance-like state. Partially because I didn't get much sleep last night – I was doing all the work I set for Sonny, and it took longer than I expected – but mostly because I'm thinking… about her. About Sonny. She hasn't left my mind since the moment my eyes gazed down on her last night. And to think, earlier in the day, I couldn't even remember her name…

I was so stupid.

Now I'm sat in a chair, waiting for them to call me over for rehearsal. I'm not really concentrating – I'm watching Sonny, who is talking to Chastity. You know, her beauty makes up for the fact that she's friends with Chastity… she flicks her hair back, and I think I might drool.

W.O.W. I've gone crazy. Hmm, I wonder what her hair feels like… smells like…

A clicking noise wakes me from my trance, and I look up to Ferguson staring down at me.

"Dude," He says, "you've been out for, like, twenty minutes." He then smirks and adds childishly, "Is it nice in Daydream Land?"

I whack him on the arm, "Yeah, I've just been…" My eyes find their way back to Sonny, "…sightseeing. Daydream Land's a pretty place."

Ferg follows my gaze, "Ah…" He says when he sees her, "So what are you gonna do?"

"I'll tell ya, Ferg," I say, getting up from the seat for the first time in, um, an unquestionably long about of time, "I'm gonna go use the charm…" I leave Ferguson and stride up to Sonny, who seems to hear me coming, and turns around when I'm inches away. Ah, so she feels the connection too… heh. ;)

"Mr Cooper." She greets me.

"No need for that anymore." I say, giving her my signature smile. It always works. Every time. "Just call me Chad."

She nods, seeming unfazed. Huh. Maybe she's one of those girls who have a delayed reaction to my charm. "Chad then." She says. "What can I get for ya? A coffee? Coz if so, I'm gonna need to write it down again… I kind of _lost_ the last note." The way she says "lost" suggests that she means something else… but now she's too beautiful for me to care about what "_lost_" actually means.

"No, I don't need one right now, thanks." I say kindly, flashing my megawatt smile.

She doesn't even crack. She just nods, turns on her heels, and walks off. I follow her, determined.

"Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot yesterday…" I tell her, trying to keep up with her. She moves fast… "But, I'm willing to look past it if you are."

"Uh-huh." She mumbles. She doesn't sound like she's paying attention. Ooh, playing hard to get? This girl's good… Chaddy likey. ;)

"So, I was thinking that, maybe, a romantic dinner tonight would help us put aside our differences."

She exhales, stopping and turning around to face me. I almost walk into her again, and so flash my smile once more to make myself look cool. "Sorry, no can do," She says, "I have some work to finish, and then I promised my mom I'd watch a couple of movies with her tonight."

"Oh." I say, trying to hide this disappointment from my face and my tone. I think I fail at both, "Okay, well, I can do a different night…"

"Um, no, thanks." She interrupts, smiling apologetically, "Sorry, but I'm not… that interested. I'm not up for a relationship right now, and even if I was… I think it would be a… a different person. No offence."

_Ouch. _"None taken." I smile, totally faking it. Yeah, coz Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't get hurt when he gets rejected. Meh, Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't _get _rejected…

"Besides, you have a girlfriend, don't you?" She adds. I groan.

"Yeah… Portlyn." My eyes wander over to the girl in question, and I shudder. Yuck. I hate being her boyfriend. Hate it, hate it, _hate it. Yuck, yuck, yuck…_

"Exactly." Sonny says, "I don't want you to cheat on her with me."

I shrug, "She'd never know."

She scowls a little, before chasing the scowl away and replacing it with a smile. "Have a nice day, Chad."

She then walks off, and I scoff, watching her. Mmm… she even looks great from the _back…_

"Chad?" A voice calls me out of this spell she's put me under, and I turn around to see Ferguson, staring at me like I'm crazy. "You okay, man?"

I ignore his question, and turn back to look at Sonny, who is talking to Chastity and Skyler. I watch Skyler's eyes slide down her back hungrily, and feel a pang of jealousy.

Grr.

"What is with you?" Ferguson asks, chuckling a little. I shake my head.

"Dude. She's pretty, she's funny, she's sweet… and she doesn't even like me." I shrug, grinning despite myself, "I hit the jackpot with this one."

I then feel a small force tug on my tie, and focus on the person who's scowling in front of me.

It's Portlyn.

"Keep your eyes to yourself, Chaddy." She mumbles threateningly, before smiling that freaky smile. "How was it last night? Helping the orphanage?"

I raise an eyebrow, "Huh?"

Ferguson coughs behind me, "Paparazzi… disguise… remember?" He murmurs between coughs, and my mind wanders back to last night, before I saw Sonny. I can barely remember those few minutes before Sonny.

"Oh, yeah!" I grin to my girlfriend, "It was great."

She gives me one last, accusing look, before turning on her heels, and walking off, wiggling her butt a lot.

Ew.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day goes slowly – all I can focus on is Sonny, and I'm scolded on more than one occasion for not paying attention. It's quite funny, actually.<p>

Jenny, the director, sighs one last time, covering her eyes with her hand, "Alright everyone," She exhales after my latest Sonny-caused mess-up, "That's all for today. We'll continue tomorrow… hopefully Chad will be more _focused._"

I smirk at the faces that turn my way, ignoring them and heading to my dressing room. I then suddenly hear something very interesting - two familiar girls talking - and stop to listen…

"You should've seen him…" Sonny's angelic voice rings through my brain, making me shiver. "He was so different… such a gentleman! Really sweet… and quite good-looking too!" _Huh? Who? Me?_

I hear Chastity gasp, "Seriously?" She breathes, "Wow, that sorta guy's rare." _Rare? Who are they talking about?_

"I know." Sonny says. "He was such a nice guy."

"Did you get his name?"

"I did. His name was Mack." Sonny informs her. My heart stops. "Mack Goldfarb." They're talking about me. "I just… I soooo hope I see him again!"

The two girls squeal, and a lightbulb goes off in my head. I run back to the stage, grab Ferg by the arm and drag him to my dressing room, where I left the Mack costume this morning, with plans to return it to So Random, although I never had the chance.

"What is wrong with you?" He asks, looking angry but also slightly confused as I close the door behind us. I find the wig on my couch, smooth out my real hair, and place the wig on my head neatly.

"So, I just heard Sonny say that she liked Mack." I explain, "She said he was a _nice guy. _Probably someone she'd listen to, take advice from, etcetera."

Ferg blinks, "I have no idea what you're on about, dude."

I roll my eyes, "Basically, "Mack"…" I use air-quotes, "is gonna go see Sonny, become her friend. Knowing Sonny, she's one who always shares things with her friends. I could get close to her, as Mack, convince her that _Chad_ isn't a bad guy! Then, she'll come running, practically _begging _to date me!"

Ferg nods, "So, you're gonna be your own wingman?"

I nod, grinning. Ferg smirks.

"That's actuall pretty good. Props, bro."

"Props accepted." I say with a grin, changing into a red T-shirt and jeans. I admire "Mack" in the mirror, before realising.

I still have blue eyes.

Very _recognisable_ blue eyes.

"Damn." I groan, "Now what?"

Ferg sighs, shrugs, before opening his mouth, "Contacts?"

"Perfect!" I rush over to my dressing table, where I have a bunch of random costume stuff in a drawer. Including some brown-eye contacts I used shooting a movie last year. I place them in, turning back to my full-length mirror, and I grin at my reflection.

"And now…" I say, turning to the door, "I gotta find Sonny."

Sonny's POV

I'm sat in Mr Cole's office, bored out of my head. They asked me to proofread next weeks script, because I'm a teen and they want what they write to interest teens (cue eye roll), and then, I have to staple together all the scripts and highlight the words for each person's script (that idea was courtesy of Portlyn Madison, ugh), and take them to each actor's dressing room, so they have them tomorrow and can learn them in the weekend.

Lovely. I'll be here till about six, at this rate. I'm gonna starve - I haven't eaten anything since breakfast. Well, this job is just dandy! Note sarcasm, of course.

I finish the proofreading and begin with the stapling at about five o'clock, when suddenly, someone knocks on the door. I get up, tired, sleep-walking over to the door, and I gasp when I open it.

"Hello, Sonny." A pair of brown eyes stare down at me, and the boy moves a strand of brown hair from his face. My breathing speeds suddenly, and I blink to check he's there.

"Mack?"

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><p><strong>AN: Um... yeah, 'nother cliffhanger. Sorry... but I wanted this up for y'all. And I think it was the longest chapter so far, even though, um, it's, um, not, um, as long as my other multichaps's chaps (lol).**

**So, there you goes! The double life begins! So, whatdoya think? Will Chad's plan work the way he wants? Review to find out! I'm planning on updating QTO next, but I'll work on this story as well to get up as soon as poss! **

**Review! Love you all :D**

**~Amy x**


	4. A Second Meeting

**A/N: Hey! I told you guys I could update twice in one day! You didn't believe me, did ya? Coz I'm that bad an updater ;D**

**Anyways... I know it's been a few weeks since I updated. Sorry - I've been working on LWMS and QTO. But I'm back with a very Monny (Mack/Sonny ;) Or Manny?) filled chapter :D I need help with that, thinking of it... what do you think Mack and Sonny's couple nam should be? I might need it...**

**Review replies!**

**LaLaLaLaLaAlice: Thanks! Um, I think Chad doesn't like Goldfarb, just coz. There is no reason, really... in my story, let's just say it doesn't sound as cool-guy as 'Cooper'. Yeeeah... Ooh, and my eye colour is blue! Although today they looked pretty green... and my hair is brown, if you wanna know. With blonde highlights that are slowly fading... :/**

**Slinky Flower The Lovatic: I know. Ferg to Ferb, lol xD Yes, yes it does ;)**

**k.98'PeaceOutSuckas: Thank you. Just thank you. That was an incredible review. I locve ya sooooo much! :D**

**Everyone else, thanks for your reviews! :D On with the chapter! :D**

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><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 4 - A Second Meeting**

Sonny's POV

I have to blink a couple of times to check he is really there. I mean, I've spent the last day trying to convince myself that Mack Goldfarb was just a sleep-deprived hallucination.

Yet… here he is again. In front of me. Smiling.

…_Real_.

I remember earlier in the day, when I was talking to Chastity about him. About a cool, kind, gentlemanly, gorgeous boy in the dark blue hoodie and sunglasses. A boy who smiled and helped me out and left my heart racing at double the speed than usual. He was… so, so different, but that's what made him the most brilliant boy I've ever met. I remember dreaming about him last night, and then I woke up and disappointingly had it set in my mind that Mack Goldfarb was just a figment of my imagination.

Huh. Looks like I was wrong. _Waaay_ off.

His smile twists a little and becomes crooked, and he leans casually against the doorpost. "So…" He says, charming me with a perfectly white smile. I scan him carefully, to check he's the real deal. He looks like he could be fresh off a movie set – his eyes sparkle in a way that's almost inhuman, his teeth are next to perfect, his clothes are all _designer. _Come to think of it, his sunglasses last night were too. "Aren't you gonna invite me in?" He asks.

"Um, I…" I sort of get lost with my words. That's that same voice… cool, calm, kind… I suddenly feel very hot. Gosh… maybe I'm just getting a fever… I'm sure that's it. "I have work to do." I excuse myself, hiding my tomato-red blushes with my hair, and I head back to the desk, leaving the door wide open, and him standing in it.

He shrugs. "I could help."

"That's sweet…" I say, keeping my head down as I hear footsteps make their way to right in front of me. I try not to look up – I don't want to make eye contact. I don't want him to get comfortable. "But don't worry – you've already helped me enough with the letters last night, and I don't need the help."

"Ah, but you want it." He says with a knowing smile, "I'm sure you want it. Nothing says 'dying of boredom' like stapling together a whole pile of boring old scripts."

I make the fatal mistake of looking up at his face, at his eyes. He has brown eyes… really cute brown eyes… I didn't notice them last night coz of the sunglasses, but now that I get the chance I never want to look away again…

I shake my head, chasing away the odd thoughts and focusing back down on the scripts, "Sorry. I've caused you enough trouble, and there's no need, honestly."

He shrugs, "No trouble, Miss… No trouble at all." He takes my hand and kisses it softly. "It's worth seeing the smile on your beautiful face." He adds with a charming grin. I almost faint.

"Are you for real?" I ask him, my mouth hanging open, and he just chuckles, wiping a strand of brown hair from in front of his eye. The world suddenly feels like it's spinning way too fast… oh my…

"You could say that I'm from your imagination…" He says as I poke him softly to check he really is there. Yup. He's solid. And, apparently, he has _abs_. I shudder. _Stay strong, Sonny… for the love of your sanity, please stay strong…_

"Or I could be real, if you want me to be…" He continues, "What do you want me to be?"

I pull a face, trying to hide my true emotions for the boy, because I only met him yesterday and it's all just so… weird! "Frankly, I want you to be gone." I tell him.

He raises his eyebrows at me. Not in an upset way though… it's more of a mocking expression. His laughing eyes are burning a hole right through me. _Oh my…_

"Sorry." I say, and his smile grows, still kind of sarcastic. "I'm just… a little tired right now. Plus, I promised my Mom I'd be home early so we could have a night in together. So far, I'm totally off track."

Mack takes the stack of papers and a stapler and staples the thick pile together, winking as he does it. "So… if I help… it'll speed things up, right?"

I give up, taking a seat back behind the desk and smiling up at him. "I suppose so." I shrug, "Take a seat."

He grins in victory, and slumps down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk, helping me with my work. A few minutes into it, I can tell by the look on his face that he's bored. He gets up out of the seat and wonders over to the back of the room where a radio sits on top of a chest of drawers. He switches it on and an old Katy Perry song blares through the speakers. He grins that big grin and grabs me by the hand, pulling me out of my chair and dancing like crazy.

"What are you doing?" I yell above the music. He laughs.

"I'm just makin' work a little more fun!" He says, mouthing along to the words and dancing to the beat, his brown hair flopping across his face, getting in his eyes, his face. He doesn't seem to care, though. He looks like he's having so much fun, but also like he's used to it. Well, considering his clothes, his hair, his impeccable looks… he must've already spent his whole life in the sun. There's no way a boy like that could be unpopular in any way, shape or form. I roll my eyes good-naturedly and take a seat again, resisting the nagging urge to get up and dance with him.

"You're crazy…" I say, but he snatches the chair from under me before I can sit down and picks me up in his arms, swinging me round and round until I'm totally giddy and singing along as well. It's almost like his sunshine is contagious. I'm acting almost drunk.

"_Baby you're a FIREWORK!" _We sing-scream at the top of our lungs, and a small goody-two-shoes part in the back of my mind begins to fear for my job. But right now, I'm way too dizzy and having too much fun to really care. This crazy-happy mood Mack has put me in is way too much fun to stop now. _"C'mon let your colours burst!" _

Laughing like idiots, Mack and I collapse onto the floor as the song ends, and I take deep breaths to calm myself down and spread my arms out wide to stop the room from spinning. I'm suddenly very light-headed…

"You okay?" Mack asks me, and I nod. That just makes everything worse.

"Just a little dizzy." I admit. He pouts, before picking me up bridal-style. I scream and protest, but he doesn't seem to notice. "Mack!" I yell, "Put me down!"

"Nu-huh." He says, "If you're dizzy, you shouldn't be working; you're going home."

"But what about my work?" I say as he begins to head for the door.

"I'll bring it with us." He shrugs, "No biggy. I'll just come back for it after I've got you in my car."

"In _your_ car?" That does it. "You are _not _driving me home! I can drive very well, thank you…" I suddenly feel sick and giddy. I hold my mouth to stop any potential hurling **(nice) **and cling on to Mack tightly to stop myself from falling. "Is the room spinning?" I ask. I can just about make out the smirk spread across his face as he opens the door with his foot.

"You need to get home, Son." He says, staring down into my eyes with that cheeky yet friendly smile, "Before you throw up on me."

I fold my arms and pout, but I stop my protesting. "Fine." I say.

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good." He grins, "We could finish the work when we get back to your house!"

My eyes widen, "_We?_" I ask. He just nods, unfazed. "You've just invited yourself into my house."

He smiles sweetly, "Is that a problem?"

I try to tell him he can't come – because he's a boy I only just met yesterday and it'll be weird, especially since my Mom will probably start asking really awkward questions – but he's just so sweet, it's so hard to turn him down.

"Fine." I groan.

"Fine?" He raises an eyebrow.

"You can drive me home. I'll do the work when I get back, on my _own, _thank you."

He pouts, "Really?" I nod, and he groans softly, that crooked smile still spread across his face, "Fine."

"Fine."

He grins, "Good."

"Good."

"Are we really doing this again?"

I giggle, hiding my face with my hand to hide the blushes and hopefully stop any weird squeaks from escaping and making me look like an idiot, "You're crazy."

"In a bad way?"

I try to hide my blushes, "Nope."

He laughs that cute laugh, and at this point I tear myself away from his eyes and notice we're outside, still in the real world. The cold eveing chill chases away my fever, and I feel a shiver coming on. Mack places me back on my feet, and then takes my hand and leads me to a red Chevrolet. I whistle under my breath. Well, he has a nice car, considering he used to only be an assistant at Mackenzie Falls. He must have a great job now…

He opens the door, bowing cheekily, and I smirk at him, getting in the car. It's a relief to be sat down again, anyway…

Mack runs back to the studio, and a few minutes later, he runs back up to the car, the stack of papers in his hands. He gets in the car, handing me the papers, and I place them on my lap, putting my seatbelt on.

"Where are we heading?" He asks me. It takes me a moment to remember my new address.

"Uh… Elm Street." I say **(made-up address)**, "The block of apartments on the corner."

He nods, revving the car's engine. It makes a spectacular sound, and the car comes to life. He grins at me, and I just roll my eyes jokingly.

"Show off." I say as he moves the gear stick** (Is that right? I'm no car person…)** into 'drive'.

We're off.

"So…" Mack says when we're getting closer to my street, "How's your first few days been working at the _dazzling _Condor Studios?"

I shrug, "It's been…" I exhale with a small laugh, "…a lot of work."

He chuckles. It sounds so… perfect. Why is life so unfair? Why is he so amazing so that he can pull off near-perfection? "Of course." He says, "But worth it to meet all those big celebrities, right?"

_Meh. Not really. _"I'm just… not that much of a fan of the Mack Falls people."

He frowns, "None of them?" I shake my head.

"Well, maybe Chastity."

"Not Chad Dylan Cooper?"

I wince, "He's the worse." I confess. His face falls.

"Really?" He says. I can tell he's trying hard to keep his eyes on the road. Huh… what's got him so nerved about Chad Dylan Cooper? "He's that bad?"

I rub the back of my neck, trying to find the words to explain my feelings for (against) Chad Dylan Cooper… "He's just… annoying." I say, "He's kinda bigheaded… rude… he doesn't treat me right."

He frowns, "Really?"

I look at him. His brown eyes are on me, he looks confused, but also a little hurt. I melt at the sight of him frowning, before a loud car horn drags us both back into reality. Mack jumps in his seat, and swerves back into the lane quickly and skilfully as we were slowly leaning towards the opposite one.

"Mack!" I scold him lightly, but his mind is clearly on other matters.

"He… he wasn't that bad when I was there." He says defensively. Oh… maybe they're friends?

I sigh, "Well, people can change, I guess. For better… or worse."

Mack shrugs, "People _can _change, I guess…" He sighs, "You think he's bigheaded?"

"I do." I confess. "He's, well… he's got such an ego on him… and he can be really rude…"

"I don't mean to." He says, his brown eyes sad, focusing solely on me.

I blink, "Wh-what?"

His eyes widen, and he turns back to face the road, wanting to avoid any accidents (and my gaze, so it seems), "I'm sure he doesn't mean it. Chad, I mean, he's, well… he's actually real soft inside."

"Really?" I scoff. Wow. Well, that's something you wouldn't expect… I sure didn't see it coming!

"Oh, yeah!" He smiles, "He can be a real sweet guy… just his reputation is pretty big to him, and he doesn't like to show his… _real_ emotions."

"Oh…" I say, "Well, I'd like to meet this other Chad someday."

"Maybe you will." Mack says, "Someday, anyway."

"How can you be sure?" I say, my eyebrows creasing. He just smiles.

"Trust me – I know Chad." He says, "He just might surprise you."

"Mmm…" I say, hesitating a little. "Yeah… when that day comes, I'll run around the town in my underwear!"

Mack explodes with laughter, the loudest and happiest laugh I've ever heard. It suddenly makes the air around me feel light and happy. "You're crazy, you know that?" He says.

I grin, "Well, I do live to please."

"And you succeed." He smiles. He stops the car and stares at me for a long moment, and I suddenly forget we're even in a car. I imagine us sat together, hand in hand, in a meadow, hugging, kissing. I don't know why… ugh! Why am I doing this? What is wrong with me? I only met the guy yesterday, for crying out loud! I feel how sweaty my palms are when his hand touches mine and pull away nervously, the small electric shock scaring me a little. He raises an eyebrow, a careful expression on his face, and I try to smile at him. It's a weak attempt, but he buys it nonetheless.

It's this moment when I notice we're in my street. I'm slightly thankful just for the excuse to get out of his sight and get some fresh air. This new car smell (it sure _seems_ like a new car smell. Or maybe this is what all fancy cars smell like) is making me light-headed again, not to mention what just went down between me and Mack.

Me and Mack. Is it scary that that sounds kind of nice?

"Thanks for the ride." I say to him, fumbling around to get my seatbelt undone. My shaky fingers finally press the release button, and I open the door and climb out as quickly as possible.

"You have a good night now, Missy." Mack calls after me. I turn around and my heart races. His eyes are sparkling in the dark, moonlit sky. Gosh… "And call me if you need any help with that there work of yours."

I laugh – a stupid, awkward laugh. It makes me sound like an idiot. "Thanks." I say, "But I don't have your number."

He hands me a small, scrunched-up piece of paper with that warm look in his eye. My hands feel like they're burning when he presses the paper into my hand. "Now you do." He says with a wink. My legs almost collapse from under me for the umpteenth time this evening. My mouth suddenly goes dry and I can't force him to take it back. Besides, why would I want to give it to him back? I might lose contact with him, if I don't take this… it scares me how attached I am to him after two nights.

"Thanks." I repeat, waving and shutting the door. He smiles at me through the window once more, before driving off down the road. I watch him with a half-smile, before turning around and tripping over my own feet. I drop the papers, and scrape my knee against the pavement. A little blood trickles out of my wound, and I tutt quietly to myself, dabbing it with a tissue I find in my pocket.

Wow. I really wish I'd had Mack to catch me this time.

* * *

><p>"Hey Mom." I say, stepping through the front door of our apartment <strong>(it's the same apartment as in the real show :)) <strong>and placing my keys on the desk by the door.

My mother, being the overly-caring woman she is, notices the scrape on my knee instantaneously. I wince as her mouth drops open, and she runs into the kitchen. She comes out about 20 seconds later, with some kind of disinfectant spray and a plaster. I roll my eyes good-naturedly. Even at sixteen, I'm still babied by my mother. How sweet, I know.

"Mom." I say, "It's only a little graze."

"We don't want to escalate to an infection, do we?" She retaliates. "I don't want my baby girl to be hurt." I fold my arms, pouting jokingly as she sprays my knee. I flinch a little from the sting of the spray touching my knee, and bite my lip. I don't want to prove her right, that I am just her weak baby girl.

Mom gets up again after a few seconds, telling me she knew this was gonna happen and her mother's instincts told her that I should've warn jeans today. I just nod, rolling my eyes up to the ceiling.

"So, how was your day, honey?" Mom asks after she's finished her little rant.

"Um, okay." I say, "I made a new friend…" Yeah. _'Friend'_. That's an understatement.

"Oh, that's wonderful, sweetie!" She says, "You should've brought her home."

"He's a boy." I say, and then regret it at once. I know what my mother will think of that…

She grins at me, "That's adorable, honey! Oh, you must introduce him to me!"

I groan… typical Mom…

"Maybe someday." I say. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go finish my work… we can watch something together later, yeah?"

Mom nods with a smile, "Of course, sweetie."

I leave her alone in the front room and walk into my bedroom. I start highlighting Chad Dylan Cooper's lines first, because Mack and I finished the stapling before we left. Mack's piece of paper he gave me is sat right on the top corner of my desk, and I keep looking over at it, trying to resist picking it up to call him. I won't do it yet. It'll seem desperate and weird. I won't call him. I won't.

But hey, I can put his number in my phone… right?

I pick up my phone, selecting "New Contact", and I type in "Mack". I add a little 'x' at the end unconsciously, before realising what I've done, shaking my head and erasing it out. I then pick up the paper to see the number. His handwriting is impressively neat and strangely familiar, only I don't know where from.

But what hits me the most is what he has written, underneath his number.

"_Call me soon, beautiful._

_I wait eagerly for our next encounter._

_Mack :)"_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Aww, dontcha just love Monny/Manny/whatever you wanna call them? (Not as much as Channy though ;D) **

**So, what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Love it? (that would be awesome :)) **

**Review to tell me! :D**

**~Amy x**


	5. Car Rides and Sleeping Over Part I

**A/N: Heyyy there. Happy Valentine's Day! Or Happy Single's Awareness Day, if you're single :D **

**I'm on half term - a whole week off! I've been working on this chap ALL. MORNING. Since I got up, pretty much, and it was finished at about midday. And this chap turned out to be 11 PAGES LONG ON MICROSOFT WORD. I was like. WOW. Too long :P So, I'll post this half now, and then I'll post the next half soon :) **

**CDCTheRandomWizard23 - I'm glad you liked it! The Randoms? I was planning to put them in, but I'm not sure when they'll come in... but I will put them in, yeah! Someday... :P**

**LaLaLaLaLaAlice: Heh :) I'm, um, about 5'7" or something like that... I'm not sure. Have to get back to you on that one!**

**k.98'PeaceOutSuckas: Gah! Love you! Here's a cookie! *passes you a cookie* I am Amy the Cookie, after all :P Stupid homework... how did it go? LOCVE YA!**

**Soo... here it comes. This half ain't as good as the second half, but I hope y'all like it anyway. Enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 5 - Car Rides and Sleeping Over (Part I)**

Chad's POV

Spending the night with Sonny was a genius idea. The only problem – she has plans.

Darn it.

Oh well. It doesn't really matter. The important thing is that she has fun and she gets to like "Mack". Well, we've abandoned work and we're dancing and singing like complete lunatics, and she's smiling too, so, so far so good!

The song we were dancing to finishes and we collapse to the floor in a heap of arms, legs, and laughter. Sonny is giggling like a maniac (a very cute maniac) until she suddenly wobbles a little in place. She spreads her arms out wide, as if she's trying to keep her balance.

"You okay?" I ask her, in a genuinely worried tone, and she nods, before wobbling again. I restrain from holding her steady because it might freak her out to have me suddenly touch her like that.

"Just a little dizzy." She says. She steadies herself again, but she sure looks pretty off. I make the decision right there – she's going home. Sure, if I take her home, it means I'll get to spend less time with her… but hey, maybe she'll think I'm a good guy if I take her home where she's safe. And maybe she'll invite me in…

I pick her up and swing her over my shoulder – sure, kind of a weird thing to do. Don't judge me. It's like… in one of those sappy movies! Where the caring guy picks up the sleeping girl and takes her home and takes care of her. Yup. Totally romantic.

And Sonny totally agrees with me on that.

"Mack! Put me down!"

Okay, maybe she doesn't… this isn't gonna be as romantic as I hoped.

"Nu-huh." I tell her as she squirms around in my arms, "If you're dizzy, you shouldn't be working; you're going home."

Sonny looks up at me with alarmed eyes. Obviously my heroic act has taken her by surprised. You're welcome, cutie. ;)

"But what about my work?" She asks. Ah… never fear! Chaddy's (Macky's? Eh) got this covered…

"I'll bring it with us." I tell her, "No biggy. I'll just come back for it after I've got you in my car."

Her eyes widen, "In _your _car?" Oops. Here comes the girl's hissy fit… the _crucial_ part of these romantic movies… "You are _not _driving me home! I can drive very well, thank you…" I then accidentally loosen my grip on her (hey, she's hot! I can't focus on anything else when I look at her)… She holds her mouth and grips onto me even tighter, making me smirk. Ha. She digs me. "Is the room spinning?"

Ha. I love it when I'm right – I can't hide the CDC smirk that comes across on "Mack's" face at that moment. I shove the door open with my foot and walk down the hallway, not tearing my eyes away from her beautiful face.

"You need to get home, Son." I tell her. I add with a grin, "Before you throw up on me."

Sonny pouts at me – she even looks cute when she's _sad. _Man, this girl's _good! _"Fine." She grumbles.

"Fine." I say triumphantly.

"Good." She says.

"Good." I say, shooting her a big smile, "We could finish the work when we get back to your house!"

Sonny blinks, "_We?_" She repeats. I just nod. "You've just invited yourself into my house."

Oops. I'm used to doing that, you see, girls don't need to invite me – I just come. They don't care – girls love Chad Dylan Cooper and his unpredictability. Of course, right now I'm not Chad Dylan Cooper. I'm Mack Goldfarb – boring, normal, totally predictable Mack Goldfarb. Yawn… but hey, if he helps me get Sonny, I'm all for him!

"Is that a problem?" I say, trying to act totally innocent. Pfft. _Trying. _I'm an _actor – _I don't need to _try. _Comes naturally.

I can see the thought obvious in her face. It's hilarious, but still adorable. She looks like a little kid – she sticks her tongue out while she thinks! Oh… this is just too _good! _

"Fine." She says.

I blink, "Fine?"

She looks up at me and speaks to me in a totally serious manner. "You can drive me home. I'll do the work when I get back, on my _own, _thank you."

Aw… darn it! "Really?" I give her my sweetest pout, hoping she'll reconsider. She doesn't even budge – she just nods slowly. I can't help but keep smiling, "Fine." I give in.

"Fine." She says with a confident smile. Ooh… being challenged, am I? This girl's good…

"Good." I say, remembering our little "fight" (she's totally flirting with me…).

"Good." She replies.

"Are we really doing this again?" I laugh, realising the ridiculousness of our situation. I mean, I'm walking across the Condor Studio's corridors with a girl I met on only yesterday in my hands, and we're "fighting" (cough, flirting, cough), and I'm just about to take her home. Let's not forget the massive crush (CDC having a _crush?_) I have on her and the beautiful sparkle in her eye when she laughs. When she does anything, to be honest.

"You're crazy." She tells me.

"In a bad way?" I check. She smiles a huge, toothy smile. Oh my gosh… those _teeth! _That adorable smile too. Gosh. I've decided – this girl's an angel. Like, a _real_ one.

"Nope." She mutters softly. Seriously, how can she be this incredible? No fair! I laugh, opening the door to the parking lot. The moment we step out into the cold, Sonny begins to shiver. I wish I could give her a jacket to warm her – but all I'm wearing is a T-shirt, so I just hold onto her tighter and hope it helps even a fraction. I then put her back down, rub her back softly, and walks along, my hand hovering next to hers just in case she falls and I need to grab her and stop her from falling again.

I take her to my car – the most "normal person" car I own… yeah, I'm gonna have to get "Mack" a car before someone gets suspicious… and a drivers' licence, actually.

Great. This should be _easy…_

I open Sonny's door, like they do in all the movies, and she sure seems charmed. I then leave her in the car, to get her work that I'd almost forgot about. You can't blame me – I was looking at _her. _

I reach the office we were working in and pick up the stack of papers, placing them under my arm. I find a small scrap of plain paper and write down a little note for Sonny along with "Mack's" (my) number in case she wants to call (which, if tonight is working so far, she will).

Satisfied that my note is suspicious yet friendly enough, I head back to the car, note in my pocket, and scripts under my arm. I get in the car and give Sonny the papers, asking her where she lives, and we head off back to her house.

* * *

><p>About 20 minutes later, I'm driving home, mentally face-palming.<p>

That… could've gone better.

Everything started fine. She seemed to have a blast when we were working, but everything just fell apart on the car ride home. For me, anyway. For me and my plans to make Sonny Munroe mine.

We were just sat in a comfortable silence, exchanging friendly glances every now and again. And then, we started talking and I discovered something that sent my hopes of Sonny Munroe becoming CDC's new girlfriend adrift.

She doesn't like me.

At _all_.

Crazy, right?

She said I was the worst of all the Falls kids. Chad Dylan Cooper? The worst? _Really_? Out of all those losers… _I'm_ the worst? And it doesn't stop there. She said I was annoying. Bigheaded. Rude. She said I didn't treat her right… what the heck? Ridiculous, right? I mean, what have I done to her?

Let's see…

Um, ran into her on her first day, when she was holding the coffee. And then yelled at her.

Actually, come to think of it, I've yelled at her a lot. But hey, that isn't that much of a crime, right? What else have I done? Uh… give her all that work, I suppose…

And treated her like a front door mat to wipe my feet on.

…

Wow. She's right. I haven't treated her like I should. Especially a girl like her… she needs to be treated like the angel she is… No wonder she hates me… Gosh, am I really that bad?

Looking over everything in those short few seconds, I realise – yes, I am.

Um… whoops.

Well, what am I supposed to do now? How am I supposed to get Sonny to date me if she really can't stand me? Do I give up? No, I don't. Chad Dylan Cooper never gives up something he wants, and I _really _want Sonny.

Then, it hits me. "People can change", she said.

Oh, she has _no _idea…

Ha.

Look at that. The thing's I'll do for little Miss Munroe…

She'd better be ready for the nicest Chad Dylan Cooper anyone's ever seen!

* * *

><p><span>Sonny's POV<span>

When I wake up, my head feels like a cement mixer. No, I'm serious. I thought my sudden little headache was only a sudden and little one. But apparently I was wrong, coz it's back and bigger than ever.

Great.

I get up out of bed, determined to go into work. Work seems to be the only place I can find Mack, and I haven't found the courage to call or even text him yet. Maybe I'll run into him there? That's what I'm hoping anyway. I mean, I always meet him in Mackenzie Falls… maybe he can help me take my mind off my headache like he did last night? Eh, it's a thought.

I make my way into the bathroom, taking a shower, hoping to wake myself up with the water trickling down my back. I disguise the dark, tired bags under my eyes with make-up (stupid thoughts of Mack stopped me from sleeping last night) and put on a little blush to make myself look less pale and ill. If I'm gonna get in to work today, I have to pass the _Mom_ test. Well, having a Mom who's an elementary school nurse has its perks and its pitfalls. Perk – she knows how to take care of me. Pitfall – she knows how to take care of me a little too much. If she can tell that I don't feel one hundred percent, she won't let me into work. That means that, not only do I risk not seeing Mack, I risk making my boss angry.

And Chad Dylan Cooper, of course. No, he's not my boss. He just _acts _like it.

_Ugh_.

I slip on a black vest and a purple T-shirt that reads "LOVE AND PEACE" over the top, along with jeans and random jewellery. I think I look pretty good – hey, I have to for Mack, don't I? You can't blame me… he's, um, well, he's _gorgeous_…

I take a couple of Paracetamol to ease the pain, and a slice of toast to get rid of the rumbling in my stomach. Mom stops me at the door to tell me to have a good day, and I sigh with relief. She hasn't caught me.

And so, with next week's Mackenzie Falls scripts under my arm and a blender as a head, I leave to get to my car.

Or, so I was expecting…

"Hello there, Sonny!"

Stood right outside wearing a leather jacket and a dazzlingly bright smile, with an expensive-looking car (obviously his) at his side…

Is Chad Dylan Cooper himself.

I would shoot him a scowl, but I'm so tired I just roll my eyes half-heartedly. "You've finally learnt my name." I say listlessly. "How sweet."

He shoots me that million dollar smile. "That's because I care, Sonny! I mean, why wouldn't I? Chad Dylan Cooper is all about thinking 'bout others!"

I smirk, "I'm sure." I say, "Now, excuse me, but I need to get to my car in the parking lot…"

I start to turn away to the parking lot, before pausing as I remember something.

I left my car at Condor Studios when Mack drove me home.

Well… just fan_tastic_.

"Something wrong?" Chad asks. I can pretty much hear the sarcasm in his voice. Jerk.

"I left my car at the studio yesterday when your _friend _drove me home." I say, leaning against the front door, raising an eyebrow at him. He blinks.

"Friend…?" He says.

"I forgot; you're too cool for friends." I snort, before biting my lip. I try not to fall for the pout on his face after – it looks faked. Stupid, shallow actor…

"Mack." I say, agitated. "Mack drove me home, last night. Remember him? The old assistant at Mack Falls?" I sigh, before adding as an afterthought, "Or do your _loyal subjects_ do the remembering _for_ you?"

He smirks at me, before opening the passenger door to his car.

"You need a ride." He says, "Hop right in."

"Oh, no, no, no…" I say, taking a step back, "You are _not_ taking me to work! I'm not having another guy drive me around!" Honestly, I'm only saying that because I want _Mack _to drive me… wait. Off subject. _Stop it Sonny! Ugh! _

Chad laughs, grinning that megawatt grin at me, "You got another plan to get to work?"

"I'll, um…" I bite my lip, "I'll walk!"

"Yeah, and you'll get there…" He says, raising an eyebrow sarcastically, "…probably by the time _we're _all going home."

I growl at him softly. Why does he have to have such a darn good point? Grudgingly, I push myself away from the wall and get in the passenger seat. Chad closes the door behind me, strutting in front of the car, round to the driver's side. I watch him as he climbs in and grins at me. I can't tell whether he's trying to mock me, charm me, or both.

Well, if he's trying to charm me, it's not working. If he's trying to mock me and get on my nerves, it really _is _working…

He revs the engine, shooting me a seductive "check me out" look. I shake my head.

"You're ridiculous." I mumble. He doesn't seem to hear me, though (either that or he's ignoring me…) and we start the journey.

Well, this should be _fun…_

* * *

><p>We stay silent for most of the ride. Chad just sits, driving, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the steering wheel and whistling some familiar tune, but I can't put my finger on what it is. I shake my head as he switches on the radio, turns it up loud and begins to dance a little in his seat. Lucky the roof's up on his convertible or we'd be causing quite a scene… actually, <em>he'd <em>be causing a scene.

"Wanna focus on driving?" I ask him, taking my eyes away from the scenery passing by the window. Chad winces and turns the radio right down.

"Someone's cranky this morning."

"Well, I'm not feeling a hundred percent…" I say, "What's it to you, anyway?"

He shrugs, "I was just wonderin'…"

"Well, don't." I snap. Meanwhile, why am I suddenly so moody? Must be being around Chad Dylan Cooper that brings out my inner anger… or maybe it's just the headache? One of those…

He lifts his hands off the steering wheel in a term of surrender, before shaking his head slowly and smiling, focusing back on driving. After a few seconds, he speaks again.

"Sorry." He says.

"For what?" I blink, "You've done nothing wrong."

His lips part a little, as if he's trying to say something, but he gives up the urge and focuses his eyes solely on the road.

"Too much to explain." He says softly.

"Oh, right." I say sardonically, "So a _normal _person like me couldn't _possibly _understand the trails and tribulations that Chad Dylan Cooper, the greatest actor of his generation, has to go through?"

He groans, looking at his feet and biting his lip. He says nothing in reply. He pulls into an empty space and sighs.

"We're here." He says simply. I open the door and get out as fast as I can.

"Good." I say to him, before slamming the door and storming to the set.

…Wow. What just happened?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well... what do ya think? I hope it was good enough for ya. It would've been longer, but if I'd had added the next scene, the second half would've been too short, so... there you go!**

**Um... I'll put the next chap up in a day or two! Please review though anyways! Me wants to know your thoughts! Also tell me what you think is gonna happen! I love reviews like that :D**

**Thanks guys! **

**~Amy x**


	6. Car Rides and Sleeping Over Part II

**A/N: UGH. Sometimes FanFiction can be so annoying (I love you, honey, but you can be... -_-) I had this all ready to post yesterday - I proofread it and everything and I was so proud for my amazing fast update... and then dear wouldn't let me log in -_-. Sigh... Well, it's working now, so I'm back! :D**

**BeingHannah923: Heheh, sweetie pie, you're chapters are far too awesome to be considered "too short". Oh, and since it's your birthday, along with the countless tweets I will send through the day... THIS CHAP IS DEDICATED TO YOOUUU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! *blows party blower thingy* Hope you're havin' a blast in London... you gotta tell me the whole story when you get back!**

**k.98'PeaceOutSuckas: You're right. Manny are adorable. Almost as adorable as CHANNNYYYYY! Right? Don't worry, Manny's coming, you'll get your wish ;D And there's some Channy too, so double helping! Eh? Eh? WOW! You did soooo good on your test! Me proud :') I'm fifteen on the 1st March, yeah. I asked my Mum and she said I'm 5'6"... so we're the same height! *dances* :D And I'm still waiting patiently for Immortal... ;D**

**Okay... Incredibly long A/N out the wayyyy... Hope you enjoy this chapter of this story based on this show which I do not own! Yes.**

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><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 6 - Car Rides and Sleeping Over (Part II)**

Chad's POV

After picking Sonny up at her apartment (I knew she'd need a ride considering her car is still at the studio), I realise that my suspicions were right, and that she _really _does not like me. It seems like she can't even stand to be in the same car as me. Outside her apartment she was pretty much looking for any other alternative other than getting into the car with me, like I was some weird stranger.

Now, she's sat as far from me as the seatbelt allows, gazing out of the window. She just snapped at me and basically told me not to get involved with whatever seems to be bugging her today (let's just say, Little Miss Sonshine seems to be hiding behind the clouds today), which just makes me feel worse. I really must rub this girl up the wrong way. The problem is, she does the complete opposite to me. She'll do anything to be away from me; I'll do anything to be with her. She'll do anything to get away from me; I'll do anything to make her stay.

"Sorry." I say out of nowhere. I suddenly feel the need to apologise for all I've done to her in the last few days… maybe then she'll forgive me? Well, I hope so… coz now I've got her attention.

"For what?" She says, turning to face me with those shining perfect eyes, "You've done nothing wrong."

I don't know what to say after that. If I try to tell her, she won't listen. She's pretty peed off with me now… I don't wanna make it worse.

"Too much to explain." I say, giving up in my attempts to apologise for being _me_.

"Oh, right." She says with an ironic half-smile, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "So a _normal _person like me couldn't _possibly _understand the trails and tribulations that Chad Dylan Cooper, the greatest actor of his generation, has to go through?"

Okay… I'm not gonna even try to deal with that. Who knows what trouble I'll get myself into trying to talk some sense into her? Sonny seems to be a very stubborn, headstrong girl who won't listen to me when she's like this. It'll be best to leave the sweet talk to Mack, I think.

We pull into Condor Studios' parking lot, and Sonny pretty much dives out of the car, slamming the door behind her. I face-palm, shaking my head slowly.

This getting Sonny to like me as Chad thing is gonna be harder than I thought…

I walk into the Mackenzie Falls set, and it seems most people have already been handed next week's scripts that Sonny and I sorted last night. I smile as I watch Sonny talking and laughing with Chastity, before I notice something I didn't while I was focusing on driving. Her eyes look slightly darker underneath today, somewhat shadowed… and has she tanned on her cheeks since last night? Hmm…

"Yo, Chad!"

I turn my head to the sound of my name being called, and I look up to the left to see Ferguson and (a less welcome) Skyler heading my way.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Cooper?" An interfering Skyler asks, resting a "friendly" elbow on my shoulder. I push him off tenaciously – this guy gets on my nerves. To make matters worse, I'm sure I've seen him looking at Sonny – _my _Sonny – on more than one occasion. Let's just say, he seemed a more than a _little_ attracted to her… and in all the _wrong_ ways…

…No. I'm _not_ jealous! Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't _get _jealous about some girl. But, then again… Sonny's not just_ some_ girl. Not even close. She's so much more than that…

"None of your beeswax, Skyler." I say. He smirks.

"Has wittle Chaddy got a wittle crush?" He chuckles. I have to try really hard to not slap that smirk of his proud, arrogant face.

"No." I say, maybe a little too quickly. I watch as he bites back the laughter, before strutting off to talk to (ha, flirt with, most likely…) Portlyn and Marta, leaving me and Ferg alone. Well, good. I can't stand that guy.

"So, Chad, bro…" Ferg says to fill the empty silence, "How'd it go last night with Sonny?"

I shrug, "Started okay. She seemed to have fun, we were messin' about; it was pretty cool…"

He blinks. "But…?" Ha. Ferg knows me too well. There had to be a 'but'.

"But…" I say, "I found out she isn't particularly fond of _Chad Dylan Cooper_."

Ferguson winces as I spread my arms out wide and say my name dramatically.

"Ooh… man, that's not good." He pauses for a second, "But she likes your disguise guy, right?"

I shrug, "Uh, I think so…"

"Well, then, that's good, right?"

I let out a resigned sigh, "I guess… I just don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"Well, now's your chance to figure it out." He says, "She's coming over…"

My head shoots up and darts around, and he's right – Sonny is walking over, smiling friendlily.

"Hey, boys!" She says sweetly, passing me, and then Ferg, next week's scripts, "I'm sure you know the drill – learn your lines and learn 'em quick! A new director is coming in next week, so she wants you guys ready to give her something great to work with!"

Ferg clears his throat noisily, spitting out only _just_ understandable words while he does so, "Now's… your… chance! Charm… her!"

I roll my eyes before giving Sonny one of my famous grins, trying not to be too bigheaded or sarcastic. It's then when I notice – she hasn't tanned, like I thought. She's wearing make-up. A _lot_ more make-up than she was wearing yesterday. And the day before. What the…?

"Everything okay, Mr Cooper?" She asks me good-naturedly, raising her left eyebrow questioningly. I take a breath to ask her what's with the make-up, but I can't quite find the words.

"Yeah, everything's fine." I gave in, okay? Plus, knowing the mood she's in with me, she'd probably say _"None of your business"._

Sonny nods, before turning around and starting to walk away. Yes. I'm letting her get away too. Whatever!

She doesn't get far though. Nope. Sonny gets about two feet, before she halts, motionless in her tracks.

"Is the room spinning?" She says, before she starts shaking.

"Sonny?" Chastity says, walking over from where she was stood a few seconds ago. But Sonny doesn't seem to hear her. She just stands there, shaking, shivering.

That's when she starts to collapse.

Ignoring the fact that I'm in a public area, ignoring the fact that all my cast are around, ignoring the fact that my so-called _girlfriend _is only ten feet away, ignoring the fact that all these previous facts could end up to some odd and major problems because of this one small action…

I reach out involuntarily.

And I catch her.

And as the last few seconds past by almost in slow motion, the next few are when everything seems to speed up again. I hear cries around me of "Oh my gosh!" and "Are you okay, Sonny?" and "Wow, Chad, what was that?". All I can focus on, though, are Sonny's two brown, soft, shining eyes. She's gazing at me, her eyes sparkling, and a shy blush showing faintly on her cheeks. She smiles at me thankfully, looking up at me from under her long lashes. She bats them, almost flirtatiously. I have to blink a few times to check that this is actually happening, and I would try pinching myself if it wasn't for that fact that doing so would result in me dropping Sonny. That wouldn't look very heroic. **(Random side note – I had de ja vu writing this scene o_O)**

I realise then what's actually going on. People are crowding around us (though I don't dare to look away from Sonny). I'm leaning down, on one knee, holding her. It feels like one of those cheesy fairytale moments. If I just… kissed her now…? Surely that would be okay… it's what they do in the movies, right? And I wouldn't even have to carry on with the double life thing anymore – I'd have no need to be my own wing-man anymore. Sonny would be mine without all that. Right? Well, here goes nothin'…

"Sonny?" Chastity's voice rings loud in my ears, snapping me out of the best moment of my _life_. The flirty, in-love look on Sonny's face flees as she hears her name and she shakes her head, like she's been woken from a trance. She looks up at Chastity, a dumbfounded look on her face. Well, there goes the fairytale kissing moment… damn.

"I'm fine…" Sonny mumbles. I lift her back onto her feet, only to have her slap me on the arm. Well, so much for being thankful to your hero...

"Ow!" I moan. She's strong, okay?

"I'm fine, Chad!" She repeats, this time more forcefully, "I didn't _need _you to catch me!"

With that, she turns on her heels and storms off.

And so I make the stupid decision to follow her. Yay me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" I say, waving my arms around for emphasis. She just keeps on walking. "Where do you think you're going?"

Sonny shrugs, her heels clicking against the floor, "Away from _you_." She says, "Back to work…"

I ignore her rude remark, "Oh, no, no, no, you're not fit to work." I say, "You just fainted."

She gasps, "You have no right to question my health! And I didn't faint! I fell over!"

"You _fainted_." I correct with a smirk, "You know it's true."

"Prove it." She says childishly.

"Before you passed out…"

"_Fell._" She grits her teeth, interrupting my point. I stifle a laugh, before continuing to state my case.

"…you asked if the room was spinning. Come to think of it, you look a little dark under the eyes, a little sleepy, and besides, you've already fainted recently – last night, remember?"

She stops in her tracks, spinning around and glaring at me. "How did you know that?"

Oops. It wasn't Chad she fainted in front of last night. It was Mack. Unable to think of a cover story, I just stand there for a few seconds with my mouth hanging open, before I think of an escape route, "Mack told me. We're buds, you know? He tells me everything."

She growls and her eyes flash, "Oh, when I _see_ him, I'll…"

"You'll…?" I interrupt. It's kind of funny to see someone as angelic as Sonny plotting revenge. She just smiles at me bitter-sweetly.

"What I'm trying to say is, I don't _need_ your help."

"Suuree…" I drawl, "Okay, you're coming with me."

I grab her hand and drag her in the direction of the nurse's office.

"What the heck?" She screams, "Let go of me! What are you, a _barbarian_! Let. _GO_!"

"Not gonna happen." I say, "I'm taking you to see the nurse. Come along now."

"NO!" She continues to scream, hitting me on the arm, "I don't _need _to go to the nurse!"

"You _fainted, _Sonny." I say, getting a little aggravated.

"DID NOT!" She squeaks, hitting me again repetitively. I roll my eyes.

"C'mon, Sonny, want me to carry you?"

She growls a low growl, before giving in and letting me drag her. I smile in my success.

"Good girl."

Sonny's POV

"You seem perfectly fine, Sonny." Nurse Tompkins tells me. I roll my eyes – of course I knew that. I feel stupid; like a little kid in elementary school who fell over and scraped her knee **(Just remembered how she kind of did, last night. In chap 4? :P)**.

"I feel tired." I tell her. I hear Chad stifle a laugh from the corner of the room. I could slap him…

"Well, everything seems fine – just go home, have a little rest, and you'll be fine to come in on Monday!"

"Good." I say. "I'll go home now then."

"I'll drive you!" Chad smiles as I get up and reach for my handbag. Seriously, why is Chad being so nice to me? First, driving me to work. Then he caught me when I fainted – _fell _– and now he's driving me back home?

"I can drive just _fine_." I tell him, giving him a pointed look. He pouts at the nurse for back-up, and she frowns at me solemnly.

"It would probably be best, Sonny." She says lightly, "You shouldn't pass out again, but if you do… we can't be sure!"

I could punch the lights out of that smug-looking bigheaded jerk-face. Seriously. He opens the door for me, smirking, and I pretend like I forgot he was there.

Well, this is all just dandy!

Not.

* * *

><p>I find myself half-asleep in Chad's car on the way back. I'm sat as far from him as the seat allows again – I don't want anyone to see me in here, I don't even want to <em>be<em> in here. I'd rather have the potential of crashing from my _own_ drowsy driving than let this guy drive me around! (Actually, that might be a lie… I don't plan on dying today, thank you very much.)

"So…" Chad says, trying to clear the awkward air. He just makes everything worse. "You feelin' okay?"

"I'm fine." I say. My voice is a little croaky, but I don't care. It sounds kind of hostile. Maybe it'll scare him, warn him off a little bit.

Ha. I know. Sunny Miss Sonny Munroe, huh? Well, I just don't like Chad. And I'm in a bad mood – can you blame me? I didn't even get to see Mack at The Falls in the few minutes I was there. If I'd have stayed a couple more hours, well maybe I would have… but no. Chad had to pick then to suddenly be _nice_.

I shiver a little – I've suddenly got a chill on. Well, thank you, stupid fever-thing.

"You cold?" Chad asks, like he's reading my mind. I sigh.

"Yeah, I am." I say indolently. He reaches to the back of the car and passes me a shirt. I scan the shirt. It's pale blue and white stripes; it looks like something he's probably wore once or twice filming Mackenzie Falls. I shrug and put it on, too tired to fight about it.

"Looks good on you." He laughs, but I don't reply. His laugh fades suddenly, and he looks back at the road.

"I'm just trying to be pleasant." He says softly after a few seconds. I turn to face him, and see that, although he's not facing me, he's frowning. "Just trying to make this ride a little more comfortable." My heart throbs, "But, if you don't want to, that's fine. We'll just sit in silence…"

"Oh-okay…" I say, before sighing resignedly. "I'm sorry."

He blinks, turning to me suddenly before facing the road again. I see a sparkle in his bright blue eyes and the corners of his lips curl upwards… "What was that?"

I laugh a little, "I'm sorry. I'm being really hostile, and I shouldn't be. You've been… surprisingly nice today, and I've been really rude. So… sorry for that."

He smiles a little, "It's okay." He says, "Heh. Talk about personality swap. I know it's a little alien for me to be _nice_."

He shudders, and I giggle. "You're funny, you know that?"

"Are you _trying_ to inflate the ego?" He smirks.

I giggle, "No. Ha ha. Sorry."

"No need to apologise, Son." He says. Ha. He just nicknamed my nickname! Wait… Mack called me that last night… huh. I'm sure I'm obsessed with that guy, seriously. "Well, we're here!"

I look out the window and my mouth drops open. We're home. But… "How did you know my address?"

"Um…" He stammers, "I texted Mack."

I roll my eyes, "Of course." I say, "_Mack._"

"Do you like him?" He asks, eyes kind. I gulp.

"He's… pretty cool." I say indifferently. Understatement of the century.

"Yeah, he's a'ight." Chad says, settling back in his leather chair, sighing happily. "Well, you get to bed now, and guess I'll see you on Monday?"

"See you Monday." I agree, opening the door to be met with the warm late-morning air that makes me feel so much warmer. I then remember what I'm wearing, "Oh, do you want your shirt back?" I ask Chad.

He scans me for a second, before shrugging, "Keep it for now. It looks good on ya." I can't help but giggle, before I realise… This is my perfect chance to ask about Mack… well, they're friends, aren't they? Maybe he knows where Mack is…

"Hey?" I say, smiling at him. He looks up at me.

"Yeah?" Chad says.

"Um, do you know where Mack is? Have you seen him?" He smiles a little, "I was just thinking, coz…"

"I'm sure he's in town." He says. I grin.

"Really?" YES!

"Yeah. Maybe you'll run into him at the weekend. Or maybe he'll run into you. Guess we'll see, huh?" I nod, smiling brightly.

"We'll see."

"Stay safe, Sonny."

With that, I close the door behind me and he drives off back to Mack Falls.

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><p>The afternoon goes on and I get some sleep. The only problem with that is – I'm now lying in bed, at midnight, <em>unable<em> to sleep.

I should've known this was gonna happen. I'm not the best of sleepers – insomnia was too good a friend of mine when I was a kid, and even now it takes me an hour or two before I can doze off. I slept all afternoon… how am I supposed to get back to sleep now?

I'm still wearing Chad's shirt, by the way – along with some fluffy socks and pyjama trousers to help me get in the sleepy mode.

Ha.

I'm a little cold, still, too, so really, I feel like crap. What could possibly make it worse?

_KNOCK KNOCK._

"AGH!" I scream, gripping on tighter to my duvet. I gulp, shaking, frightened.

Someone's knocking on the window.

I somehow build up the courage (or the idiocy) to take a peek at who (or what) is at the window. I climb out of bed, tip-toeing across the room, before pulling the curtains open, and I sigh in a relief when I see…

_Mack_.

I open the window for him. He climbs in from a tree branch, brushing an imaginary speck of dust off his shirt, before scanning my attire. I blush as he smirks at my colourful combination of fluffy pink striped socks, black pants with little white hearts on, and of course, Chad's pale blue shirt. It looks ridiculous, and completely mismatched. **(Inspired by my "evening wear"… only sadly, I don't wear Chad's shirt. I wear my cousin's old T-shirt. Nice, huh? :P)**

"I like it…" He says carefully, "Very… _in style_. Try to set a new trend, Miss Munroe?"

I roll my eyes, throwing a pillow at him.

"You almost gave me a heart attack." I say, climbing back into bed. "Why are you here?"

He shrugs, "Chad told me you wanted to see me… well, here I am!"

Wow. Those guys really do tell each other _everything_. Are they, like, step-brothers or something? Hmm…

"Well, c'mon in then." I say, tapping my hand on the foot of my bed. He saunters over and lies down on top of the duvet, next to me. Our faces are only a few inches away, and my heart pounds vigorously in my chest, so hard I'm certain that he can hear it.

"Hey there." He says with a friendly smile, before kissing my nose. Wow, if there was any worry about me passing out again before, it's even more plausible now.

"H-hi…" I stutter, smiling shyly.

"You're having trouble sleeping, I guess?"

"How do you know?"

"Ah…" He taps his nose secretively, "I'm smart like that. It's obvious - you're awake. At midnight. And I don't think you're one of those girls who has just come in after a late-night party."

I blush as he places a palm on my face, "Well, you think correct."

He smiles, before placing an arm around my back and stroking it, sending spectacular shudders down my spine. I let out a satisfied sigh and close my eyes. This feels so… perfect. Yet so weird at the same time.

"Sleep now…" He mumbles into my ear.

"Will you stay?" I say fuzzily, my eyes fluttering. "Stay all the night?"

"I'll be right next to you, all night." He says, "I promise. Think of me as your… _guardian_ or something."

I smile sleepily, letting out a little laugh, "Thank you."

"Sweet dreams, Sonny…"

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><p><strong>AN: Welll, that's the second half done! Aaaaaand _relax. _Glad that's done, I've been wanting to post since yesterday. And you know, I've proofread this twice, so if there are any mistakes you can literally run at me with torches and pitchforks. **

**Anywayyyy... I hope you guys enjoyed it! I know I did. Sooo... reviews? I didn't get many last time... I know FanFiction has been messing up recently, and I only posted last chap on Tuesday, but still... if you didn't review last time and you usually do, can you please go back and review? I wuve youuu...**

**Oh, and go wish BeingHannah923 a vewy happy birthday! She's an awesome sister! :D And an awesome writer, as I'm sure most of you agree...**

**Peace out!**

**~Amy x**


	7. Confrontations From The Cast

**A/N: Um... yeah. Hi. I apologise for my... disappearance on this story, but I just... I dunno. I lost it. Hopefully my writing flow for this story is back, cos I have some pretty cool ideas coming up :)**

**I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter. Even though I hardly got any reviews... _again..._****the ones I got were really sweet, soooo thanks! :D**

**Hey, I thinks this is the longest chap so far! #proudness**

**I don't own SWAC, Twilight, the song _Falling Over Me_ or Looney Toons. So enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 - Confrontations From The Cast<strong>

Chad's POV

After dropping Sonny of at her apartment, I head straight back to Mack Falls. My girlfriend is the first to question me. You'd probably expect this, from a moron like Portlyn; she storms up to me and scowls in my face.

"Explain!" She demands. I roll my eyes.

"Nice to see you too, sweetie." I say, "How has your day been?"

She makes a low growling sound. Heh. Weird. "Don't mess with me, Chaddy!" She spits, "I want you to tell me exactly _why _you were being all romantic and sweet to _that_ girl!"

I decide to have a little fun. I shrug as if I have no idea what she's talking about. Her eyes flash with anger.

"That _girl_!" She squeaks angrily. I'm fully aware of the eyes that turn to us at this point. Eh, I'm used to it. Whenever she yells at me, it attracts a lot of attention. She's a loud and annoying girl.

"You mean the girl who fainted?" I ask innocently. She nods vigorously. I smirk and shrug. "Eh, I just came valiantly to her rescue. No biggy." Her eyes flash again.

"Did you _do _anything with her?"

I blink, slightly freaked out by her question. "What do you mean…?"

She rolls her eyes, "You _caught _her, for goodness sakes! C'mon, Chad, tell me… did you _kiss _her?"

"No." _I wish._

She folds her arms and gives me the 'I know your secret' face. "You drove her home."

I shrug, "And?"

She growls a low growl. "You can guarantee me that you didn't have a single thought in your head about how pretty she was or how much you wanted to kiss her or anything like that? I know you, Chad."

_Well, I can't guarantee anything… _"Nothin' of the sort." I lie, before adding with a shudder, "She's a… ew, she's just an ordinary girl. She's worthless in my eyes." Lie after lie after lie. I guess that's what a double life is like – a web of lies.

_Lovely_. I'm gonna need to note all these down in case Portlyn interrogates me again…

She gives me one last look, scowling, before she flicks her hair back. "I've got my eye on you, Cooper." She assures me, "Just remember that you're _my _boyfriend… if you cheat on me…"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Lie number three. It's a good thing I'm a great liar. Ha.

"Mmm…" She murmurs with a fake smile, "I'll be watching you, Chaddy-poo." She kisses me on the cheek lightly, before skipping off to talk to some other cast mate.

And then, to my surprise, Skyler strides up to me and puts a friendly arm on my shoulder.

"Hey, Chad!"

_Go away, you evil creep. _Yup. Skyler's as evil and creepy as the character he plays. And he's a worse jerk than me. I know – impossible, right?

Wrong.

"Wassup, buddy?" He asks me, grinning falsely. I refrain from rolling my eyes as he watches my girlfriend wiggle away. Eh, he can have her. No, I mean it. I _want_ him to have her. They're both monsters – they fit each other _perfectly_.

"Get the assistant home?" He asks me before I can answer his first question.

"Uh… yeah?" _What's it to you, freak?_

"That's good…" His grin reminds me of that weird _Looney Toons _cartoon coyote.

"What do you want, De Vane?" I ask him. He shrugs.

"So, Chad…" He ignores my question, "Tell me… is that assistant girl a good kisser?"

"Wh-what?" The shock in my tone is a little too faked for my liking. Skyler's smirk indicates that he noticed the shock too. Great.

"That assistant girl you drove home." Does _everyone _know about that? "I saw the looks you've been giving her…" _Yeah, like you haven't been giving her those looks too… actually, you've been giving her slightly different looks… _I shudder again at the thought. "So, did she fall for your little charms?"

I roll my eyes at him. Yeah, I do a lot of eye-rolling around this lot. They're idiots.

"Skyler, man, nothing happened. And I didn't _want _anything to happen, anyway, so whatever."

Skyler raises an eyebrow at me, "Oh, really?" He asks cheekily.

"Yeah, really." I say, mocking his tone. He grins.

"So, that means… she's mine!"

_Over my dead body, dude…_

"Have fun." I tell him with mock-enthusiasm, "Cos, really, I don't care."

"Ooh, harsh, Cooper…" He smirks. "You're hiding somethin', aren't ya?"

"Pfft, no!" _Yes. But why the frick would I tell you?_

He raises an eyebrow at me, but gives up, and saunters off to flirt with some extras in the corner of the room.

Yuck. _Sicko_.

* * *

><p>After we record the final scenes for this week's episode, I make a break for my car to get home, where my Mack outfit is. No-one questions my apparent hurry, which is good, cos I don't want anyone to really pay too much attention to me. I just need to get to Sonny, as fast as possible.<p>

Honestly, she's like my drug. I _need _to see her. I haven't heard her beautiful voice in hours – I'm getting withdrawal symptoms. It's weird. And well, I can't go see her as Chad. If the paparazzi see me it'll cause an uproar in the press, not to mention one of Condor's 3 chances disappearing and the fact that my girlfriend will probably kill us _both. _Ooh, and the fact that _she hates Chad. _

I arrive home to have my Mom attack me with a hug, introduce me to a bunch of random family members I haven't seen since I was five, and then tell me to settle down for dinner. I'm stuck with my family for far too long… I just wanna see Sonny! Even if I haven't seen these guys for years… Sonny is so much more important to me right now! (Wooowww…)

When they finally set me free, I race up to my room and put on my outfit. I'm just about to leave… when Portlyn calls. It _sucks, _and, because she _just keeps talking, _we're talking for about two hours. And then I have to find some way to get out without my parents seeing me, which means I don't arrive at Sonny's until _midnight. _

_I know._

_It sucks. _

But when I do arrive at Sonny's, I realise how she and her Mom must be asleep. Annoyed, I pace on the lawn in front of the apartment block, before remembering where Sonny's apartment is… right near _that _tree…

Hesitant, I do the cliché rom-com movie thing, and climb up the tree skilfully to reach her window. I haven't climbed a tree since I was seven, but I was pretty good at it back then, so…

Hoping she is still awake, I knock carefully on Sonny's window. After a little while, she opens the curtains and the window, and lets me in. It's quiet sweet to see she's still wearing my shirt, and after talking for a bit, I find out that she is knackered, and so I lie next to her to help her sleep.

* * *

><p>"<em>Mack, you almost gave me a heart attack…"<em>

The girl's near-incoherent mumbling next to me later in the night amuses me. So she speaks in her sleep? Nice to know. Not that it freaks me out – everything I find out about that girl makes her twice as attractive as before.

Someone. Anyone. Help me here. I am far too obsessed with this girl.

I watch her with an amused smirk on my face, as she tosses and turns during her first few minutes of sleep. She soon calms, and lays there, motionless, a content smile on her face. With a small grunt, I get up from my lying position next to her, and just sit beside her head, stroking it carefully. I scan her room, laughing at all the cutesy pictures and then random merchandise. Not to mention her little corner where she has a bunch of posters of male celebrities. There is surprisingly one of me, but I frown when I realise it has a moustache and glasses drawn on with a marker. I take it down off the wall – seeing that is just kinda disturbing for my ego…

I screw the poster up in a small ball and throw it into the little trash can that sits next to her desk. Feeling my eyes begin to droop, I find a blanket draped across the back of her desk's chair, and a small pillow at the end of her bed, and make myself comfortable on the floor. Well, if anyone comes in and finds me here, it would probably be best if they didn't find me asleep, in bed, with a girl I met only a few days ago. I may be a jerk, but I have morals. Also, Mack Goldfarb isn't the same jerk as Chad Dylan Cooper is. I have to be careful…

The night passes, and I sleep a little. But most of the time I spend watching Sonny sleep. Yes, she even looks beautiful when she sleeps. (Okay, how stalker-ish did that last couple of sentences sound? Kind of like Twilight? Okay, _Twilight_ references? Moving on…)

The morning sunshine passes through Sonny's light purple curtains, giving Sonny a sort of glowing look. Yup. Angel. Told ya.

A sudden sound of floorboards creaking alerts me to the fact that someone must be awake. I peek out of Sonny's door – a dangerous move – to see a woman walking away from me. She has dark brown hair and is wearing a white night gown and slippers. She wanders towards the hallway and through a door. I guess that she's Sonny's Mom. Realising that now, I could get discovered by Sonny's now-awake Mom, I quietly make my way to the window. Before I'm about to leave, I notice Sonny's small notebook. I write on a note for her, leaving it at her bedside, before fixing my wig and crawling out of the window, down the tree, heading straight to my car, and heading home.

Sonny's POV

I wake up on Saturday morning, feeling much better. Well, guess the fever's wearing off…

I look around my room, rubbing dust out of my eye, before noticing the curtains are out of place. I feel a weird chill, and get out of bed to see the window is slightly open. What the…

At this moment, it hits me. Mack came last night – I remember! He must've gone before I could get up…

Well, he sure made himself comfortable last night, by the looks of my room. He got a pillow and a blanket, by the looks of it, and nestled himself on the floor. Aw, how sweet.

I then notice a notebook – my notebook – on the pillow. I pick it up and recognise Mack's handwriting on the open page.

_Sonny, my little sleeping angel… ha. _

_Well, you're not up and your Mom is, so I thought I'd best get out of here before things got ugly._

_But I'll see you soon! Promise. _

_Mack ;)_

I can't help but smile when I put the notebook back in its place on my drawer, before reaching straight for my phone which is sat next to it.

"Chastity!" I grin as my newest friend answers her phone.

"SONNY!" She screams happily, and I stifle a small chuckle. "Wha so funny, Missy Munroe?" She asks. I smirk, raising an eyebrow.

"Missy Munroe?" I repeat.

"Yeah, cos you just interrupted me hummin' along to Missy Elliot, and I just thought I'd call you 'Missy Munroe'. That a problem?" She asks, with mock seriousness. I can't help but laugh.

"Not a problem at all, Missy DeWiit-y." I retort. Ha, Chastity can be so hyper sometimes. She's the only _fun _member of Mackenzie Falls. Well, Ferguson seems fine, but I never really talk to him – he's too busy with Chad, his best friend (I dunno what he sees in the dude…). Besides, Chastity is all the friend I need, in the studio. I have plenty of friends back in Wisconsin, and a group of friends in the local café where I hang out sometimes. I don't need a massive group of people – as my Granny used to say, quality is so much more important than quantity.

Chastity giggles, "Sooo, tell me, Sonny-Son, why are you callin'? I mean, not that I don't _lurve _talking to you, but Condor's called the cast in for an important meeting for some sorta crap on how we're not working as hard and blah-dee-blah, and we're waiting outside now… so, what's happenin'?"

I giggle at how much Chastity and her silly talk reminds me of my best friend Lucy, back home. We used to be the troublesome twosome – and she was super crazy. Sure, Chas is awesome… but Lucy is a completely legend. I smirk at a few memories.

"Wellll…" I say in a gossipy voice, collapsing down onto my bed and resting on my tummy, folding my legs behind my head and twirling a strand of hair with a free finger. "You remember that boy I told you about?"

She gasps, "Mack?" She asks.

"Mack." I nod seriously. She squeals.

"What did he do? Aww… was it romantic? Did he give you a rose?"

"Actually, he gave me a heart attack." I laugh. Her stunned silence tells me to go on, "He knocked on my window and I totally freaked out."

She explodes with giggles, before cooing, "Aww, that is so damn romantic! Just like in the movies 'n' stuff."

I grin, totally seeing where she's coming from. Well, she has a point. I'm sure I've seen this in plenty of movies before. Even in Romeo and Juliet! But then, he didn't exactly scare her half to death? Well, he did _cause_ her death… off topic. "And that's not the half of it… listen to this!"

I read her my note, and she gasps.

"Giiirll…" She coos, "He's totally got a thing for you!" **(A/N: Hannah… "wow, thanks for the thing!" Random BTR reference ;))**

"You think so?" I say, trying to hide the desperation in my voice. It doesn't work, but either Chastity doesn't pick up on it or she doesn't really care.

"I know so." She says. I imagine her nodding seriously, "Seriously, Sonny! He's got the hots for you, girl! Soo, what comes next? Have you made plans?"

I shake my head, "He's still as mysterious as ever." I say flatly.

"Ooh…" She says slowly, "That guy really knows how to make a girl suspicious, doesn't-" She trails off into silence.

"Um, Chas?" I ask, trying not to sound worried. After a couple of seconds, she answers.

"I'll call you back, Son. Condor wants us."

"M'kay." I smile, "Speak later, Chas!"

"Later, Sonny! I'll meet you in the usual place!" She giggles.

"See you then!" I smile, hanging up.

Chad's POV

"Ugh… won't this thing just hurry up already!"

Tired, bored, and annoyed, now fully un-Mackified, I'm sat in Condor's waiting room with the rest of my stupid cast, tapping my foot against the lino floor to make an irritating tapping sound.

To be honest though, I don't really care.

The silence is incredibly awkward. Geez, I wish these guys were actually worth talking to. We're all here, bar Ferguson, who is off taking care of some kind of family emergency. Which is a nightmare for me, because none of my friends are here. And that means – no-one to protect me from those flirty stares Portlyn keeps shooting my way.

I feel like I need to barf.

I check my watch once again, before running a hand through my hair in frustration as I realise it's only been two minutes since I last checked the time. Gosh… why can't the man just hurry up and tell us what we gotta know?

I roll my eyes as the door to the waiting room swings open and Chastity skips in, humming a weird little tune. She falls down into a seat opposite me in the room, twirling a strand of hair around her finger while sitting with a content smile on her face.

"Morning, everybody!" She smiles, receiving many groans from the slightly less enthusiastic cast mates. Obviously, they're not as fine with being woken from their Saturday lay-ins. Honestly, I don't mind – I was already up when I got the text at 11am – I'd already left Sonny's, and I hadn't gone back to sleep when I got home. I was quite proud of myself for that – I never get up on Saturdays till, like, uh… mid-afternoon.

At the earliest.

Hey, I'm a busy dude, can you blame me?

"Soo…" Chastity says, trying to break the awkward silence. Hey, you've gotta give her props for trying. Many eyebrows raise at her, but Chastity being peppy little Chastity, she either doesn't notice or doesn't care. "Does anyone know what we're doing here?"

"I dunno." Skyler shrugs, before shooting a smirk in my direction, "I wonder who cheesed Condor off this time." He coughs, spluttering out my name, and I roll my eyes again.

"Maybe it was you, Sky." I tell him, "I mean, you've had your eyes plastered on every butt that's walked in and out of this studio for the last, ah, two YEARS. He's probably gonna tell you to keep your eyes to _yourself_."

Skyler just smirks, "Touchy, touchy." He says smugly, before the conversation fades to silence again. Marta rolls her eyes, dragging her phone out of her pocket and texting. I don't know who exactly, but judging by that seductive look on her face, it's probably her boyfriend… of the _day_. Ew.

Chastity starts humming again, and equally catchy, yet annoying, song, before a phone explodes with an irritating jingle. Chastity blushes and takes her phone out of her jeans pocket, smiling.

"SONNY!" She screams after a second or two.

My ears perk up at the sound of the beautiful girl's name, and, trying not to be obvious, I listen in non-too-obviously to half of the girls' conversation. Chastity continues to be annoying, and I continue to roll my eyes at her, until something particularly catches my attention.

"Mack?" She gasps. I listen in, intrigued. They're talking about me. I listen in to the conversation, smiling at everything I hear, until Condor's assistant calls us into his office.

"I'll call you back, Son." Chastity tells her friend, "Condor wants us." She pauses, before giggling, "Later, Sonny! I'll meet you at the usual place!"

Then she hangs up.

I blink. Usual place? They have a usual place? Where is it? Should I go turn up and meet them there? Pfft, nice plan, Chad. How are you supposed to meet them if you don't even know where they're going?

Lost in my thoughts, I wander into Condor's office, following everyone else in. They each take a seat, and we run out of seats, meaning the both I and Skyler have to stand up. The five of us stare at the boss-man, waiting for him to speak. He stands from his seat, scanning each of us, before his booming voice fills the room.

"Listen up, you lot!" He shouts a little too loud for the small room. I wince at the volume, but I guess that's just cos I'm tired and incredibly weak right now. Ha, well that sounds _pathetic_. We all stay silent, listening for our boss's next words. "Now, I just wanted to say, I've noticed a little slip in your acting recently…"

Skyler smirks at me. I shoot him a look that says "shut up or you won't be round here for much longer" and he just shrugs and turns back to face Condor. Yes, by the way, I have to use that face a _lot_. _Especially _for Skyler. Hey, the dude's an idiot, do you really blame me?

"Anyway, I just wanted to make sure that you all know to step up – I'm keeping a close eye on each of you." Oddly, this time it's Condor's time to glare at him. I smile at him, mock-saluting, and his eyes narrow at me, before he tells everyone else but me to leave. Skyler laughs.

"Have fun." He whispers to me on his way out. I glower at him as he closes the door behind everyone.

I despise that guy.

"Chad." Mr Condor's voice shocks me, and I tear my gaze away from Skyler to watch his eyebrows raise. He takes a deep breath, "You are not getting too easily distracted recently, are you, Cooper?"

_Yes. _I shake my head, "No, sir." I say with a smile. He sighs.

"Well… that's good, I suppose." He says slowly, "Good work on keeping out of the press, by the way. I didn't think you'd be able to handle it."

I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, so I just smile and walk out.

"Goodbye, sir." I say, shutting the door behind me. Skyler steps up to me the moment I come out of the door.

"Did he fire you?" He asks, not bothering to hide his excitement. I scowl at him.

"Nope." I tell him, feeling rather satisfied. Skyler's face falls.

"Damn." He says disappointedly, before sauntering away. Rolling my eyes up to the ceiling, I make my way to the door, but I'm stopped when I hear Chastity's voice.

"So, it's a plan! I'll see you at The Patio." She says with a smile. "Seven. I'll see you then, Sonny!"

I grin, watching her as she skips down the hallway to the parking lot.

Looks like I'm going to The Patio later on.

* * *

><p>True to my 'promise', I arrive at The Patio, at about seven-fifteen. In my Mack costume, of course – the wig, the contacts, along with a Lakers jacket and shady sunglasses. I scan the café carefully – it looks pretty cool, and totally modern. The floor looks kind of like a 50's café, with the black and white, and there's a trailer in the corner of the room where the counter seems to be. The seating is totally mis-matched – a multi-coloured blend of greens and blues and yellows and reds and oranges and pinks and any other colour you could possibly imagine. There's also a stage for live entertainment, and someone is up there performing at the moment – a girl with light brunette hair and blue eyes, playing a guitar. She finishes her song and the small crowd applaud her. I join in with the applauding, before scanning the café for Sonny and Chas while the girl smiles and welcomes the next performer.<p>

"She was here last week, get ready to love her again!" I hear the girl say, "Give it up for the beautiful, the talented – Miss Sonny Munroe!"

_What?_

I turn to the stage again, and that's when I see her – Sonny flicks her brown hair out of her face, smiling nervously at the audience.

"Hey, hey, Patio! Are you guys ready to… party-o?" She jokes, gaining chuckles from a couple of people (cough, including me). She smiles, before looking down at her feet nervously.

"Go Sonny!" I yell with a smile, whistling, and she looks up at me, before her own smile widens in surprise, before she turns red.

"Um, guys, I wanna dedicate this song to a very special person out there tonight." She smiles nervously, directly at me. I grin at her, giving her a thumbs up, before she begins to strum a familiar Demi Lovato song…

My jaw drops open as I remember the nature of the song… Sonny smiles my way and I think I just about start floating in the air. I just sit, silent, watching, listening…

_I'm standing in the center of the room  
>I'm watching boys follow girl's perfume<br>All is as it should be I assume  
>Except for the distance between me and you<em>

_You're standing as a flower on a wall_  
><em>The room is still but we're about to fall<em>  
><em>And all the names that brought us here<em>  
><em>Simply fade away<em>

_Who you are is falling over me_  
><em>(Who you are is falling over me)<em>  
><em>Who you are is everything I need<em>  
><em>(Who you are is everything I need)<em>

_I'm hoping, I'm waiting_  
><em>I'm praying you are the one<em>  
><em>And I'm hoping, I'm waiting<em>  
><em>I'm praying you are the one<em>

_I can't believe that night turned into today_  
><em>I used the line you were supposed to say<em>  
><em>And all the names that brought us here<em>  
><em>Now we have to thank<em>

_Who you are is falling over me_  
><em>(Who you are is falling over me)<em>  
><em>And who you are has got me on my knees<em>  
><em>(Who you are has got me on my knees)<em>

_I'm hoping, I'm waiting_  
><em>I'm praying you are the one<em>

_If you want I will wait, I will follow_  
><em>I'm here to stay<em>  
><em>As long as we're promised tomorrow<em>  
><em>I promise you today I'll wait, I'll wait<em>

_Who you are is falling over me_  
><em>(Who you are is falling over me)<em>  
><em>And who you are has got me on my knees<em>  
><em>(Who you are is everything)<em>

_I'm hoping, I'm waiting_  
><em>I'm praying you are the one<em>  
><em>I'm hoping, I'm waiting<em>  
><em>I'm praying you are the one<em>  
><em>You are the one<em>

I run up and hug her the second she puts the guitar down.

Naturally.

I mean, who wouldn't when the girl they have been obsessing over for the last few days (okay, so it hasn't been as long as it's felt… it's felt like a lifetime) sings a love song in front of a packed café, smiling shyly the whole at time at _them_?

So I'm completely justified for kinda stealing her moment.

"That was amazing." I whisper in her ear whilst the crowd claps for her excitedly. I lead a flustered Sonny off the stage, handing her over to Chastity, who smiles at me gently. She congratulates Sonny, who skips off to get a drink for us each.

"So…" She scans me while Sonny is gone, "You're the famous Mack. Sonny's told me a lot."

I try for a smile – so I don't get along with Chastity in _my_ life, but I could try in Mack's life, right?

Ha. If I was alone I would roll my eyes – Sonny's making me all weird, I'm even giving Chastity a second chance! Pfft…

"Cool, and you must be Chastity…" She nods and I grin, "Big fan."

She blushes. "Well, thanks!" She gushes.

"Yeah…" I try not to smirk. That wouldn't look good… and Chastity _knows _my _CDC_ smirk. She's be all over it. "Did Sonny tell you? I used to work in Mack Falls, before you came."

That's a believable alibi, I guess. Chastity only came in the beginning of last season, so a couple of years ago. Yeah, that works.

"Ooh, she didn't tell me that." She smiles, "But it's cool to know. I can come to you if either me or Sonny needs help dealing with… the _snobs._" She whispers the last part, before laughing to herself. I don't respond – I know she's talking about me.

Lucky for me, Sonny returns at that moment. She hands round hot cocoas, and we all take a seat around a little table.

"Wow, Mack…" She beams at me. I realize she hasn't stopped grinning since she got off the stage and laugh a little. "Wh- what are you _doing_ here? Funny coincidence, huh?"

The two girls start laughing, and I nod slowly.

"Yup…" I say, laughing falsely, "Funny _indeed_." They wouldn't find it funny if they knew why and _how _I was really here.

"Well, you came at just the right time…" Chas says, smiling proudly at the blushing brunette next to her, "Was she awesome or was she awesome?"

I laugh. Chastity's actually nice. You know. When she's not being annoying.

"She was _awesome_." I confirm, which just makes Sonny go even redder.

"TOLD YOU!" She smirks confidently, elbowing Sonny, who hides herself behind her hair, still smiling shyly at me.

Time passes and soon, Chastity's phone beeps. She groans as she checks the text.

"Ugh. My idiot brother wants me." She waves Sonny a 'goodbye', before giving me a look that says 'don't do anything stupid' and with that, she skips out of the room.

Sonny and I sit in silence, before I realize:

We're alone.

Just me.

And her.

Well...

There's no time like the present, I guess. And, c'mon, she's dedicated a song to me. A _love song. _It's gotta be now.

I've gotta ask her out.

Suddenly very nervous, I try to smile at the girl in front of me. My palms get sweaty, and I suddenly wish I was Chad Dylan Cooper. He has so much more experience with this. This is Mack's first time asking a girl out.

I roll my eyes. _Ugh_. _You are Chad Dylan Cooper, dude. You can do this. _

"Sonny-"

But before I can go on, a blonde girl screams Sonny's name from the doorway. Sonny turns to look at her and I rest my head in my hands, slightly frustrated.

_Great. _

And then, when I notice the girl, and the group behind her, everything gets worse.

The Randoms are here…

From So Random.

My biggest rivals.

And apparently, they know Sonny.

Like I said:_ Great._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ooh, check that out! The Randoms have arrived! I hope you guys like that, it'll get a lot more interesting from now on... ;)**

**I once again apologise for how long this chap took. Ugh. ****But hey, reviews? I don't wanna sound all whiny, but I do miss all your lovely reviews. My reviews for this story have dropped from about 15+ a chapter tp 10+ a chapter to 7. Yeah. I know I'm being greedy and selfish but... please? **

**I love you all! I promise I will try to be faster next time! *hangs head in shame***

**~Amy x**


	8. Beaten Down

**A/N: Wow. Would you look at that? I'm actually posting a multi-chap that ISN'T QTO! Heheh. And, yes, I'm finally back with this story. I had like, one last scene left to do when I woke up this morning and I decided to finally get on with it. And so here I am. Hi. **

**Heheh. 3 updates in 2 days. How cool is that?**

**Becca - Thank you for your advice! I'll try to do that :D**

**PeaceLoveChocolate - Yes. Yes he is. :P**

**LaLaLaLaLaAlice - Nice to see you back! And no, I haven't seen Hunger Games. I usually don't get into those fads, although maybe I should with this one, cos I've heard it's good. **

**Macy: Thank you!**

**Thanks all for the slight increase in reviews last time. 11 reviews... shall we try for a few more this chapter? :D**

**I don't own Sonny with A Chance.**

* * *

><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 8 - Beaten Down**

Sonny's POV

Chastity leaves Mack and me alone, which, at first, is kind of nice.

And then I realise.

We're alone.

Just me.

And him.

Oh my gosh…

You'd think this realisation would be a good thing, but, come on, I mean… it's _me_, and the guy I like, all alone… and I have never. Done this. Before.

I mean it! I have no idea what to do, or what to say, or _anything_ when it comes to being alone with a boy you really, really like.

Luckily, Mack seems to know what he's going. I don't know if that's a good thing, but it should be. At least he can steer this ship to safety. A small smile tugs at his lips. Then he looks down – he looks kind of… troubled. Oh no… _c'mon Mack, you can do this… c'mon…_

He exhales to speak and my heart begins to hammer in my chest.

"Sonny-"

"SONNY!"

I almost jump out of my seat as a girl screeches my name, and I turn to the source of the sound to see none other than Miss Tawni Hart – my best friend. Tawni and I go way back – she was my best friend back in Wisconsin, before her parents divorced and her Mom packed up and moved to California, taking her daughter with her. That was back when we were about nine.

And then, when I was twelve, I got a letter from her – we used to write letters to each other all the time - this started the week after she got to California. You know _– how are you? How's school? Any cute boys?_ (Of course, the latter one came about more as we entered our teen years…) Things like that. So, anyway – she sent me a letter when I was twelve, saying she'd landed a role on a new teen sketch comedy show called _So Random!,_ and I was soooo proud of her! So I'd watch her every week on a Friday, send her a bunch of letters (and texts, as I finally got a mobile phone on my thirteenth birthday) telling her how proud I was, how much I loved the show, and how someday, I would love to star among her. I remember one of her texts –

_'Girl, you could so do it! You're even funnier than me!'_

And that text is what led me to want to come to Hollywood. I won't bore you with the details, but long story short – I'm here. And on my first Saturday in the town – two weeks ago – I came to The Patio, we bumped into each other, we hugged each other to death, we started talking, she introduced me to her cast mates… and well, that leads us to right now.

"Girl, I've missed you!" She squeals into my ear, squeezing me tightly as she wraps me into a hug. I hug her back, giggling.

"It's been two days!" I laugh, adding as an afterthought, "And we texted last night!"

"Well, still!" She giggles, "You're just too awesome, Sonny! C'mon – a day without you is almost as worse as a day without lip gloss! Almost."

I smirk. Even after seven years of being apart, I notice that Tawni hasn't lost that self-loving element. In fact, I think it's got worse.

"She ain't lying." One of her cast members – Nico – speaks up, shuddering a little, "Once she _did _lose her lip gloss for a day… it didn't end well."

Tawni raises an eyebrow, "You're forgetting _whose_ fault the losing of the lip gloss was, Nico."

Instantly, Nico's finger points to the youngest cast member, "It was Zora's plan!" He whines. Tawni nods, smiling falsely, patting a terrified Nico on the shoulder.

"Uh-huh, you'd better hope so."

I explode with laughter watching the craziness unfold in front of me. The _So Random_ cast is awesome. Crazy, but awesome.

They all collapse onto the chairs around the table Mack and I have been sat at, and I sit down next to Mack on the sofa, wrapping an arm around his arm. I look at his face – he seems a little… spaced out.

"Mack?" I say softly. He shakes his head, like coming out of his trance, and smiles friendlily at me.

"Hey, beautiful." He says.

"You were gonna ask me something, Mack?" I ask. He shrugs.

"Doesn't matter."

Okay…

"Oh, who's this?" Tawni says, her eyes lightening up with curiosity. I budge closer to Mack, grinning at my friends.

"This is Mack." I say, "Mack Goldfarb."

Tawni blinks, "Do I know you?" She asks. I see something flash in Mack's eyes, but it's gone as quickly as it came.

"I used to be an assistant at Stage 2." He explains. Tawni scoffs.

"Right." She groans. "Mackenzie Falls… heyyyy… _Mack_! The assistant at _Mack_ Falls!" She begins laughing at her not-really funny joke, patting herself on the knee. "I'm funny…" She sighs happily.

"Anyway…" Mack says, looking at me with a look of confusion. I just shrug, grinning. Ha. So my friend has already freaked out my boyfriend- _crush_. I meant crush. But anyway…

We hang around with the Randoms for a little while, before Mack hooks my arm and stands up.

"Well, this has been fun." He says with a smile that seems kinda forced, "We have to go though… _right,_ Sonny?"

"Right." I say, wanting some alone time with my boyfriend- _CRUSH. Again. _Ugh.

I curl my arm around his, turning and skipping out of the room, waving a 'goodbye' to my friends.

"Okay…" I sigh when we're out of their sight, "Did you want to talk to me before?"

"Um, yeah, I did…" He says, sighing a little. He pries my arm off of his and walks ahead of me. Curious, and really confused, I follow. We come out of The Patio and into the street. Mack pauses at the road, letting the traffic go, before he crosses slowly. He looks back at me and smiles, stopping when he gets to the other side. He reaches for my hand and I give it to him, bemused. He just laughs at my confused expression.

"Well, you followed me – that's a good sign." He states happily. He then leads me into a park. I look at the sign – _Mulberry Park, Open All Hours to the Public _– it reads. I tilt my head a little and smile.

We walk slowly through the park – it's eight-thirty in the evening now, and there aren't many others about – a woman with a dog, two old ladies sat on a bench under an oak tree, a gaggle of people with cameras (probably from a camera club or something), taking pictures of the nighttime scenes – the small river flowing on the right side of the pathway that leads through the middle, the trees, the flowers, and one little squirrel that hops delicately across the scene, making me giggle like a 10 year-old. Mack grins at me, looking stupefied.

"What?" I chuckle. He shakes his head, snorts out a laugh. It doesn't make him any less attractive – his hair shakes in slow motion, and the snort is just like a beautiful melody. Okay, so I'm exaggerating – I don't care. It's a crush. Chizz happens.

"You're such a little kid." He says accusingly. I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Is that a bad thing?" I ask. He shrugs, looking into my eyes with a smile.

"Nope."

My heart then suddenly starts to beat erratically. It gets faster, and faster, and faster… as he gets closer, and closer, and closer… I purse my lips, leaning in for the kiss. After seconds of waiting, I open my eyes to see him grinning at me. He messes up my hair like I'm a little kid, and then runs off, leaving me with the words:

"Last one to the bench by the river is a rotten egg!"

Chad's POV

The Randoms.

The _Randoms._

Of all the casts in all the shows in _all_ of Hollywood, the girl I'm crushing on had to be friends with the _Randoms?_

_Yippee. _

Well, I don't see how this can get more annoying. I'm so desperate to leave them I practically drag Sonny out of The Patio. But it's cool – we're away from them now, in a nice little park. Well, this is a romantic enough place to ask her out.

But then, see, while Sonny was blabbing to the Randoms, I had time to think. See, I realised – if I ask Sonny out as Mack, well, that couldn't really be a good thing, for either of us. It would just mean more lies, more secrecy; this double life thing is tiring. And besides, wasn't the original plan to get Sonny to like _Chad? _Exactly. So, my plan is – leave her as Mack. Then, when she comes into work on Monday all sad, Chad can be her shoulder to cry on, she'll fall for me and we'll live happily ever after. So, long story short – break a girl's heart, and then be her second choice.

Hooray.

"YES!" I cheer as I reach the bench we were racing to first. Sonny catches up, glaring at me.

"You cheated!" She moans, "You got a head-start!"

"Ah, so someone's a sore loser?" I raise an eyebrow at her. She scoffs.

"Me?" She asks, pointing to her chest as she sits down beside me on the bench, "Puh-lease."

We sit in silence for a few seconds, while she wraps her hand around mine. Curious, I look up at her. "So, how do you know the So Random cast?" I ask her. She shrugs.

"Tawni is, like, a life-long friend."

"No way!"

_Oh no._

"Yes, way!" She grins, "She's one of my best friends _ever._" Oh great. Meh, I suppose it's okay… for now. She'll soon notice Tawni's not worth it and come to me. I'm sure.

Uh-huh.

"In fact, it's kind of because of her that I'm here, in Hollywood."

I'm pretty sure my eyes pop outta their sockets. "Really?" I ask. She nods.

"She inspired me, so I decided to come here to see what Hollywood was like. Of course, she was already here – we met up when I first arrived in Hollywood in The Patio – I've sung there every Saturday since I arrived, by the way."

I smile, "That's cool. You're sure good enough for a music career."

Sonny blushes, "Thanks, but at the moment I'm going for a career in comedy. Maybe in So Random."

"Really?" _Oh boy._

"Yup!" She nods, "It would be awesome!"

"Well, you'd make it way better." I say. She laughs.

"You don't like it?"

"Not really."

"Oh…" Sonny drops the conversation, and we sit in silence again before she inhales to talk. "So, you know how you were saying something earlier? Before _So Random_ came in?" She asks, suddenly reaching for my hand. I look down at her to see her staring up at me, smiling shyly, looking at me from under her eyelashes, "Um, you can say it now, if you want?"

_Okay… here's your chance… just tell her you're leaving, and be done with it… _I exhale.

"I need to tell you something…" I sigh.

"Yeah?" Sonny looks up at me, hopeful. What is that in my chest? Surely not guilt? CDC doesn't feel guilt…

"I, um… I'm leaving."

Suddenly, Sonny looks very, very upset. Her eyes begin to glisten – _tears_? – and her lower lip quivers. "Wh-_what_?"

I moan. _C'mon, man, you can do this…_

"Sonny, I'm really sorry." I say, thinking up an excuse. She snatches her hands away from me, "My- My dad got a job in Minnesota, and my Mom's side of the family live over there and they want to go there to see them, to live there for a while. I um, I have to go with them. They won't let me live on my own… Oh, no, Sonny, don't cry…"

A tear trickles down her cheek. I reach out to wipe it away but she flinches out of my reach. She folds her arms, turning her back to me. "How long have you known?" She asks quietly.

"Um… a couple of days?"

She suddenly turns around and menacingly scowls at me, "A couple of _days_? So, pretty much the whole time you've known me? So, all this time, you've been leading me on, when you were just gonna _leave_ in the first place?"

Oops. As the tears begin to spill delicately down Sonny's face, following the first, I realise I may have made a little mistake…

"Sonny, I-" I reach out to touch her, to wipe away her tears, but she pushes me off, striding right back to The Patio.

"Don't follow me!" She yells back. I watch her, frozen for a few seconds, before I snap out of my little trance and realise what just happened.

Yup. That there's definitely guilt.

* * *

><p>I sort of just daydream through Sunday, feeling numb. The more I think about it, the more I realise how stupid I was to do something like that to Sonny. She didn't deserve it – part of me even suggests she- she… had <em>fallen for <em>Mack.

And he broke her heart.

_I _broke her heart.

Of course, I don't definitely know that as a fact until I walk into work on Monday to be faced with Chastity, whose face looks particularly sour. She whacks me the second I get close enough.

"Ow!" I moan, instantly reaching for my arm that she whacked. She rolls her eyes at me.

"Wuss." She murmurs.

"What the heck was that for?" I demand. She glowers at me.

"What did your idiot friend do to Sonny?"

It's this moment when she turns and points to where Sonny is sat, with Marta and Portlyn comforting her…

While she cries.

I gulp. _Oh crap. _

No, wait, this is good – this means that I can be the hero and un-break her heart! So this is good that she's upset… I think…

"Well?" Chastity raises an eyebrow at me, getting irritated.

"What makes you think it's Mack's fault that she's upset?" I ask, playing the innocent game. Her eyes flash with impatience.

"Well, I left them and they were all happy. A few minutes later I get a call from Tawni saying she has Sonny, who was crying after she left with Mack! And, what do you know – Mack's nowhere to be found!"

I wince. I had to make a quick getaway Saturday night – I didn't want to be spotted by anyone and go through this whole double life process _again – _it's too frustrating.

"So what did he do?" Chastity puts her hands on her hips. I decide to pretend I don't know myself, so no-one gets angry with me for hiding it, because that is probably the conclusion they'll come to.

"I don't know… I could try talking to Sonny, if you want?"

Chas scoffs, "Dude – she wouldn't tell Tawni, her best friend, what's wrong! She wouldn't tell me, she wouldn't even tell her Mom! How the heck do you think _you _would get something out of her?"

I just shrug, pushing past her, "Lemme try somethin'." I shout back. I tell Marta and Portlyn to clear off, sitting next to Sonny on the couch. Portlyn shoots me a death glare, and I just ignore it, giving Sonny one of my kindest smiles and trying to not make it sarcastic. She just scowls at me and turns her back, folding her arms in a similar way to what she did Saturday night, when Mack – _I _– told her he – _I _– was leaving.

"Sonny…" I say softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. She pushes it off.

"Leave me alone, Chad." She tries to sound strong, but her voice cracks a little when she speaks and the strong act doesn't really work. "Come to rub it in my face that he's gone?"

Okay, innocent time… "Who's gone?" I ask naively, raising an eyebrow. Sonny wipes a hand across her eyes.

"As if you don't know…" She spits, "Your little friend Mack had to leave… to Minnesota! He knew he was leaving, and he just let me get all sappy and fall for him, and then he just _left!"_

My breath catches on the back of my throat. So she _did _fall for him? I don't know whether to feel good or bad about this…

"Oh my… Sonny, I'm so sorry…" I say, but she gets up and walks off before I can say anything else.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day is hell. It goes so slowly, and the whole time I'll I can do is think about, and watch Sonny. She seems to just drift through the day, looking completely heartbroken. All I can feel is guilt – I don't even try to make a move again because I know it's not gonna work.<p>

And if I thought Sonny hated Chad before, now, she not only hates Chad, but she probably hates Mack too. Oh, great.

I watch Sonny through the whole of lunch – she walks into the cafeteria, avoiding eye contact with just about everyone, and sits alone on a small table in the corner of the room. I watch her, zoning out from the conversation I'm 'having' with Portlyn. But really, it's Portlyn doing all the talking while I just sit and nod and pretend to have a clue about what's happening. Sonny looks up, and her eyes meet mine. She gazes at me for a long hard moment, almost like she's trying to figure something out. I try to smile at her, but the second I do, her nostrils flare and she turns away.

"Chad!"

"Ow!"

Portlyn slaps my arm, giving me a death glare.

"What are you looking at, huh?" She asks menacingly. I shrug.

"Oh, uh, nothing."

"Mhmm…" She snaps, "That's what I thought."

The thing is, even if I wanted to apologise to Sonny, to fix this – heck, even to tell her the truth – I have two problems in my way. Problem number one is Portlyn, who is clinging onto my arm pretty much all day, giving Sonny the stink-eye as she mopes quietly in the corner. I just wish I could shove her off of me and go speak to Sonny, comfort her, tell her that she can do better than Mack and hope that she soon falls for me so I can ditch Portlyn and go out with her instead.

Problem number two is Skyler.

Skyler is an idiot.

True story.

The guy won't leave Sonny alone all day. It disgusts me to watch I mean, the rest of us either steer clear of her as to not hurt her feelings, comfort her, or, in Portlyn's case, glower angrily from a distance. Not Skyler though. Ohhh no. The moron is just as flirtatious and idiotic as usual. As if Sonny doesn't have enough problems. Thanks to me. And now she's being harassed by the studio idiot.

Great.

I watch with disgust as the guy saunters up to Sonny and Chastity during our break, who are sat on the leather couches, Chastity comforting a depressed-looking Sonny. From where I'm stood, I can't hear any of their conversation. I watch as Skyler seemingly flirts with Sonny while the brunette stays quiet and somber and Chastity moans at him. Maybe telling him to go away? I smile a little. At least Chastity's got Sonny's back, unlike any of these stupid egotists. And yes, I'm one of those egotists. Only I'm so scared of what other people think that I can't even go comfort the girl that _I _upset in the first place.

Chastity's right. I _am_ a wuss.

"C'mon, Chaddy! We're going!" Portlyn squeals in my ear, dragging me in the direction of Sonny, Chastity, and Skyler, for a completely unknown reason (though I have a feeling that I would know if I'd been listening to whatever she was saying before). And thanks to this, I can hear exactly what Skyler says next.

"Ha." He snorts, "You're such a baby, Munroe. Honestly, stop moping – it just makes you look sad and pathetic!" He then added a word I'd rather not repeat.

Okay… that crossed the line.

I tear my arm away from Portlyn and come face-to-face with a self-satisfied Skyler. Portlyn protests, but I honestly couldn't care less what she thinks. I have matters to deal with.

"Do you wanna say that again?" I ask him darkly, glowering as he begins to smirk. This guy just loves getting on my nerves, doesn't he? Ugh…

"Sonny looks sad and pathetic. Ooh, and that she's a baby."

"Uh-huh?" I say sternly, resisting the urge to punch the guy's face in. He nods, a cartoon-ish grin spreading across his face. This guy takes so much satisfaction in other people's pain. Weirdo. "Now do you wanna take it back?"

Skyler feigns a look of considering, before rolling his eyes. "Uh, no." He splutters out a laugh, "So why don't you stop trying to be a hero and take your two girlfriends and get outta here?"

Now, I hate this guy. I've made it very clear, right? He's such a weirdo and a creep and on top of that, he's a really bad actor. And now he's being a jerk to the girl I like. So, do you really think that it's uncalled for for me to lift my fist and punch him in the face?

Cos I don't.

I grin smugly as he topples backwards, clutching his cheek.

"Wanna take it back _now_?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Heheh. That was satisfying. :P**

**What did you think, guys? Did you like it? This hasn't been the most enjoyable chapter yet but I think it's gonna be fun from here on out. And hopefully I will update the next chapter very soon. And by "very soon" I mean not any later than a month away. :P**

**Please review guys! Your reviews are great motivation :)**

**~Amy x**


	9. Resentment and Reunions

**A/N: Hiiii, guys! I is happy. Austin and Ally is coming on tomorrow on UK TV and I'm so excited! I'd love to write an A&A fic, but I don't have any ideas! :( Oh well... keep your eyes peeled, A&A fans!**

**Okay. Back to the SWAC. **

**KellyTheLovatic - Hun, if you know me right, Sonny won't be un-sunny for long :P**

**woho - Thank you!**

**BeingHannah923 - 'Tis okay! I'll hug Sonny for you! :D *hugs Sonny***

**LaLaLaLaLaAlice - Remember how you told me about The Hunger Games a couple of chaps ago? I saw it on Sunday! It was UH-MAY-ZING. Katniss was just awesome - it's nice to see such a great, heroic female character as her! And Peeta was just awesome too. :P**

**CDCTheRandomWizard23 - No, Chastity doesn't know... yet. ;) The only person who does know is Ferguson... for now, anyway. **

**Please, guys, remember to review. My review count dropped again last chap. Your reviews always motivate me to write - I love getting feedback, so please! Anons! Members! Just go ahead and review after you've finished reading!**

**Annoying whine over... enjoy the chap! I don't own SWAC :P**

* * *

><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<br>**

**Chapter 9 - Resentment and Reunions**

Chad's POV

Okay… so admittedly, punching Skyler in the face isn't the brightest idea I've ever had.

It started out great. He totally deserved it. I just didn't expect for him to fight back. Which, of course, meant that as a dude, I had to do the same and keep my dignity, especially as the one who kind of started the fight in the first place.

The other thing I didn't realise, was that Condor's gossip magazine he told us was coming to interview us walked in at the exact moment we started full-on fighting, which meant that they caught the whole thing. They got pictures. They got a story. And, obviously, they put said story into their magazine without hesitation.

Which leads us to our lovely situation now – I'm sat in Condor's office, being lectured. Which, in Mr Condor's world, is actually _yelling. _When is that man _not_ yelling anyway?

Condor throws a magazine in my face, which has the head story as _'Brawl At The Falls' _with a none-too-flattering photo of the aftermath of our little showdown. The fight was pretty evenly-matched, I'd say – in the end we both got away with small bruises on our faces, arms, and a few on the chest, before two security guards came and dragged us away from each other.

"Care to explain _this_?" Condor demands, pointing at the magazine in my lap. He's using his talk-or-I'll-destroy-you voice, causing a lump to develop in my throat, making it very difficult to speak and save my butt. That's okay though, cos Condor goes on talking, or yelling, or whatever you want to call it.

"Chad, what on earth were you thinking? Starting a fight…"

"Well, he started it actually." I say, before regretting it. Condor eyes me speculatively.

"How did he start it?" He asks boredly, "Humour me."

"He punched me."

"You punched him first."

I fold my arms, "'Cause he was being a d-" I stop myself from cussing, "…a jerk."

Condor raises an eyebrow at me, "So you punched him?"

"And then he punched me!" I protest, before returning to my huffy folded-arms position. "Besides, I don't see you lecturing him about all this crap."

Condor's eyes flash, "Because, Mr. Cooper, if I placed you both in the same room at the same time, we'd be looking at a homicide!"

Knowing that there's no way I can come back at that without getting my ass fired, I stay shut up. Mr. Condor paces in front of me for a few seconds, rubbing his forehead like he's treating a headache, before he turns to me and takes the magazine out of my lap.

"This…" He says sternly, pointing at the mag, "This is your first warning. You have two more – then you're out!" My stomach twists. Oops. I forgot about Condor's three chances thing... "Now, get out of my sight! And, be useful for once and send in Skyler for me!"

I leave the room hastily, passing aforementioned jerk-face on the way. He smirks at me.

"Ooh, trouble with the big man, Chad?"

"Shut up." I tell him. "He wants to see you too – so I guess _you're_ in trouble with the _'big man'_ too."

The smirk is replaced with a scowl and I can't help but grin triumphantly as the door slams behind Skyler and Condor's over-used yelling starts. So Condor seems to be putting Skyler through the same process now… Ha. He deserves it, unlike me, cos I did nothing wrong.

Kinda.

Okay, so, yeah. Maybe punching Sky wasn't the best idea, and now I'm in trouble. Knowing Condor, he'll keep a hawk-eye on me (heh, get it? Hawk? Condor? They're both birds?) for like the rest of my, hmm, life.

Yippee.

Now all I've gotta do is not. Mess. Up. Otherwise, I really will be far too close to Condor's 'fired' line, and he'll hate me with a vengeance for all this bad press. Then, strike three, and I'll be fired. And no Mack Falls job means no excuse to see Sonny, because now that Mack is 'gone', my job at the Falls is the only way I can still see her beautiful face.

Speaking of Sonny…

"Hey."

A shy voice comes up to me, and when I look up from my lap, I see two shining brown eyes staring back at me.

"Hey, Sonny." I breathe. Seeing that girl almost makes all this crap worthwhile. Even though it is kind of because of her that I got in trouble. But hey - I was being heroic and saving the beautiful girl. Is that a crime?

"Hi." Sonny mumbles softly, "Um, can I sit next to you?"

I think my smile gets just a little too wide at this request. "Sure."

"Cool." Sonny sits down beside me, shuffling around, making herself comfortable on the couch outside Condor's office, before I feel her warm hand grab my one and squeeze it tight. And then – _then _– she embraces me in a hug.

I could almost faint.

"Thank you." She whispers into my ear.

"For what?"

Sonny pauses for a second, probably thinking about what to say, "For yesterday. I mean, I don't approve of violence, but you stood up for me – that was really sweet. And hey, I've never had two guys fight over me before!"

Her precious laugh dances off of her tongue, making the air around us light, bouncy, happy. I try to laugh along with her, but mine sounds pretty much tone-deaf in comparison to her flawless melody.

"Don't mention it." I say. Sonny giggles, before clearing her throat uncomfortably, pulling away from the hug and tugging at her collar on her pink gingham shirt to clear her airway.

"Sorry." She apologises weakly, her eyes glistening just perfectly, "I'm a hugger."

...

C'mon. Seriously. How did someone so perfect end up _here_? Earth doesn't deserve her. She should be up in Heaven, as an angel. She'd make a pretty good one, for sure. She's so sweet, and kind, and just _perfect. _

"Not a problem." I say, shrugging. Her gentle giggle lightens the air once again, and she hugs me softly one last time before getting up and skipping (yes, _skipping_) delicately back towards the set, her hair swinging around her shoulders.

_Damn_…

"Sonny!" I call after her. Sonny whirls around, an innocent, curious look on her face.

"Yeah, Chad?" She asks. I don't know whether this is the best idea or not, but Sonny was so hurt about Mack leaving, and she probably still is. Like it or not, I have to bring him back. I'll find some other way to get Sonny to fall for Chad, and not Mack. Y'know, hopefully.

"Um, I know you miss Mack."

Sonny's face falls. She tries to chase away the sad look with a smile, but it doesn't work. I hate seeing her so crushed. What I'm about to do is for her and _only_ her…

"Yeah…" She breathes, shrugging a little, "I'm… trying to get by."

"Well…" I shuffle my feet against the floor, "What if I told you that I know a way for you to see Mack again?"

Immediately, Sonny's face lights up. Her lower lip begins to quiver. "A-are you serious?" I nod. Delighted, she runs over and hugs me tightly. Ahh…

"Aw, Chad, you're the best!"

_Heart, please slow down before you pump your way outta my chest… _

_Thank you._

Sonny clears her throat again, pulling away from the hug. She takes my hand and skips towards the set, dragging me along with her in her path of perfection…

Sonny's POV

I fiddle with my hair, swallowing the hint of fear in the back of my throat. Nervous, I tap my foot against the grass beneath my feet, tugging at the small heart-shaped pendant attached to the chain around my neck. I pull down my white florally dress, suddenly worrying that my appearance may be a little too… inappropriate for me to be wearing in public, alone, at nine o'clock at night. I look at my watch, getting impatient.

Maybe Chad was just tricking me, saying that if I came here, I'd get to see Mack. Maybe he was just saying that in hope that I'd go and be disappointed. Or get hurt by some freak. Or worse.

I shake my head. No. Chad wouldn't do that. I mean, I don't _think_ he would, but I've been stood here for thirty minutes and I'm waiting out in the cold for a boy who is supposed to have moved to Minnesota. I'm starting to get chilly in my short-sleeved white cardigan, and now that the park is emptying, I'm starting to feel lonely, and kind of scared. I swear, if Chad tries anything…

I suddenly hear a snap. The snapping of a twig. I gulp, wrapping my arms around myself, as if that will make me invisible somehow. I look around, shivering – whether because I'm cold or scared, I'm not entirely certain.

Then, something taps my shoulder. Terrified, I turn around and whack the dark, hooded figure, causing him to moan and yell out several times.

"_Don't- you- dare- touch- me!_" I scream at him.

"Sonny! _Sonny_!"

"How do you know my name?" I ask the boy. He chuckles, and I reach for my handbag, stupidly thinking that something in there will fend off this crazed boy. Shame I don't have pepper spray…

"Because…" He takes down his hood and my heart just about skips a beat, "It's _me._"

My jaw drops open. I lift my hand to trace the boy's face, almost not believing he's there. Which is stupid, because it's only been a couple of days since I last saw him, but I thought I'd never see him again anyway.

"M-Mack?" I stutter out. He nods, grinning at me.

"Yup, Sonny. It's me."

My first reaction for this is complete and utter mind-blowing happiness. I mean, I thought Mack was gone, forever, and that I'd never see him again. But he's here – Chad wasn't lying to me. He really is _here. _

And then the happiness fades and the anger builds and I whack Mack on the arm, pulling a face at him.

"Ow!" Mack complains, gripping his arm where I hit him. I roll my eyes.

"You're such a wuss." I comment.

"I've been told." He admits gingerly, "Why'd you hit me?"

"Because you…" I yell, waving my arms around, unable to find the right words, "You're… _here!_"

Mack's eyebrows crease together. "So… you'd rather I just go?"

"No! No, no, no…" I say, grabbing his arm before he leaves _again_, "I don't want you going anywhere ever again! I thought you were gone forever – why are you _back_?"

Mack sighs, "Thank Chad." He says after a few seconds of thought, "He knew that I didn't want to leave here – leave _you _– so he tried to find somewhere for me to stay that my parents would agree to. He didn't have any space at his apartment, but one of his buddies has a spare room that Chad knew about. He asked the guy, and he said yes, and my parents approved 'cos this guy's a nice guy, and, well, here I am."

Unable to hold a grudge anymore, I let myself relax, and smile a little. Mack's back… I should be happy! Heck, I _am _happy!

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm thankful for Chad." I say, rolling my eyes lightly to the sky. Mack chuckles.

"Yeah… the guy's great." He says, "Awesome, fun, considerate, charming…"

"Whoa, whoa!" I laugh, "Slow down… or do you wanna go date _him_ rather than me?"

Mack blinks, "_Date_?"

"Is that not what you're here for?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, of course." Mack smiles shyly. Aw… "Um, Sonny… will you… you know? G-go out, maybe, um, with um… with…"

"You're such a weirdo." I laugh, hugging him tightly, before whispering in his ear, "Yes. I'll go out with you."

"Great!"

Chad's POV

Uh oh.

Okay, so maybe bringing Mack back wasn't my brightest idea ever. Now 'Mack' has a girlfriend – the girl that _Chad _happens to really, really like. And no, by the way, I'm not jealous, 'cos it's myself.

Duh.

And now I need to find a 'nice guy' to be Mack's room-mate.

_Great_.

Wait… I've an idea!

* * *

><p>"Ferg, buddy!"<p>

My friend opens the door, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Dude, why are you dressed as Mack?"

"I need your help." I say pleadingly, ignoring his question. He exhales boredly.

"What do ya want, man?" He asks, folding his arms and leaning against the doorframe.

"I need 'Mack' to become your room-mate."

Ferg blinks a few times. "…Why?"

"Because I – _Mack_ – told Sonny that he had a room-mate and could stay in Hollywood because of it, and because I'm your amazing friend, you kinda owe me, so please?"

He just gapes at me incredulously, "Enlighten me, Chad… _how_ do I owe you?"

"Just _please_?"

In the end, Ferguson gives in to my pathetic begging and ranting on about how I'm his best friend and friends help friends out and blah, blah, blah-bitty-blah. I bring Sonny up, who is waiting in my car (I told her that I had to check that Ferg was okay with me bringing her here, and that she'd have to wait in the car while I asked. Really it was just so that I could convince Ferg to go along with my plan which, fortunately, he has).

Then, when Sonny has to leave, she says a friendly goodbye to Ferguson (obviously, she's buying all this 'room-mate' stuff) and I send her down to the car. Before I can follow, though, Ferg pulls me back, raising an eyebrow at me warily.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing, dude." He tells me.

"Don't worry, I've got this." I reply. He winces.

"Just… be careful." He warns me, "If you get caught by someone close to you, or Sonny, or… just, be careful. You don't want Condor to find out about this… your job'll be at stake, man."

"I'll be fine." I say, resisting the urge to roll my eyes, like a teen ignoring advice from a nosy parent. Ferg's a great guy, but he's worrying too much. I got this. I know what I'm doing…

I think.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay. That's that chapter done. So there we go! Manny is official! :D **

**So, Chad's gettin' himself tangled up in all this, huh? What do you think? Will he get caught? Who will catch him first? **

**Review to find out! :D**

**~Amy x**


	10. First Date

**A/N: OMW I'm updating and it's not QTO I'm proud :P**

**I'll try and be quick here, guys. I'm writing an awesome one-shot. I have inspiration. Five words - How To Love, Demi Cover ;D**

**We hit 100 reviews! Whhoooo! Shoutout to MrB.o.B1990 for being number 100 :D**

**XxKayla96xX - OMW Thank you so much! :DDD**

**Chaddy-Chad-Chad - ...*wink***

**Slinky Flower The Lovatic - I have a plan for another A&A one-shot! Yayyy :P**

**CDCTheRandomWizard23 - They are so like Channy! Auslly are my second Channy :P**

**I don't own SWAC!**

* * *

><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 10 - First Date**

Chad's POV

The days go on and I get more and more used to the whole double life thing. As I get more into it, it feels less like a scheme to get a girl and more like I actually _do_ have two lives. Being two people just becomes like a natural thing.

My days pretty much have a routine – I come into work as Chad, act as Mackenzie, go to Ferg's apartment and hang out as Mack (because sometimes Sonny comes to visit after work), and then go home and sleep as Chad (or as Mack, if I'm too exhausted to get changed out of my costume). I'm surprised Mom hasn't walked in on me becoming Chad and/or Mack and freaked out that some stranger is in her house, before throwing a pillow at me and screaming at me to leave. Although, that would be kinda funny. Ha ha.

Sonny and I planned our first date for today – the second Friday that we've known each other. Ha. What a whirlwind romance. Everything's just moving so fast – but hey, that's okay, right?

We have a day off from the Falls today – we finished filming this week's episode really early – so Sonny and I just decided we'd spend the whole afternoon together, doing whatever we can think of.

I pull up outside Sonny's apartment in 'Mack's' car – yes, I bought my alter ego his own car. Well, I couldn't have Sonny getting suspicious at the fact that we had the same car, could I? And this is just another thing that makes this whole double life thing feel so real. It's kinda like method acting, I suppose.

I look up to Sonny's window, out of the car's window, and see her curtains twitch. I grin as, a couple of minutes later, she steps out of the front door to her apartment block and skips towards me, beaming. She slings her handbag over her shoulder and opens the passenger door to the car, pecking me softly on the cheek. The joy I feel is suddenly replaced by a feeling of guilt. Why do I have to live two lives just to get a date with a girl? I'm Chad Dylan Cooper, for crying out loud – any normal girl would jump at the chance to date me!

But then… Sonny Munroe is no normal girl. It makes me groan to remember how flawless she actually is, and how much she really dislikes Chad Dylan Cooper.

I've tried to put a good word in for 'Chad' whenever I'm around Sonny as Mack, but she just shrugs, smiles, and kisses me on the cheek before continuing with a different conversation. Unlike most of the airheads I've dated, Sonny isn't usually keen to talk about _me_.

"Hey there, Mack!" She coos, flicking her hair out behind her, which just makes the world go slow motion for two seconds.

"Hey, beautiful." I smile, starting up the car, "You feelin' okay?"

"Super!" She grins, nodding excitedly. "This is just going to be soo… _perfect_."

I almost agree with her.

* * *

><p>The afternoon is a breeze, and the best part? No one recognises me. I can never go out on dates – I'm noticed by fans whenever I go somewhere. I guess Mack does have another advantage.<p>

We have lunch, we hang out in the park, and then Sonny drags me into a few stores in the mall that's only a few blocks away from Condor Studios. There's a movie theatre in there, and we decide to go see something.

"I vote romance." Sonny says in a decisive tone, linking her arm in mine. I pull a face.

"Romance? Really? You wanna watch some movie with all that mushy slushy crap?" I say distastefully. Sonny gasps, dropping my arm immediately, looking slightly offended.

"Who doesn't love a good rom-com?"

"Me, admittedly." I shrug. It's true. I hate the things – the stupid plot lines, the cheesiness, and the lack of depth in the acting. Well, unless I'm in it, of course. Heck, I could make a video of paint drying into a box office success. I scan the list of movies, my eyes resting on a drama I was in a few months ago, which just came out. I grin. This could be an opportunity to get Sonny to like me! If she likes the sweet, kind guy in the movie, maybe she'll think of Chad more in that way, which will lead to her going off Mack and moving closer and closer to Chad.

It's full proof! Well, you know. Maybe.

"How about that one?" I say, leisurely pointing towards the poster for it. Sonny raises an eyebrow at the movie's poster, pursing her lips together in thought.

"Hmm… I dunno." She says speculatively, rubbing her chin.

Oh darn.

"I thought you wanted to see a romance?" I scoff. She shrugs.

"You don't, though. I'll watch whatever you wanna watch."

"Well, I wanna watch that."

"Why?" Sonny frowns. "I thought you didn't want to see any of the 'stupid mushy slushy stuff'?" She puts a hand on her hips, and I groan. Okay, so that plan's gone tumbling down.

"Okay, fine." I gave in, scanning the list again, "How about…"

"Hey, guys!"

A familiar female voice rings in my ears, and I sigh. Looks like Sonny and I aren't gonna be alone anymore.

"Hey, Chas!" Sonny envelopes her new best friend in a hug, and the guy at Chastity's side gives me a friendly smile. He has messy blonde hair is just about my height, and seems friendly enough. I guess he's Chastity's date.

"What're you guys doin' here?" Chastity asks. I smirk.

"We're here investigating the lack of popcorn being served to customers." I say in a stealthy voice, "Shush…"

Sonny giggles hysterically, hitting me lightly on the arm and snaking her arms around my waist, roping herself in.

"We're on a date." She announces with a proud grin.

"Cool!" Chas giggles, "Whatcha seein'?"

Sonny rolls her eyes, "No idea. Mr. No-Emotions here doesn't wanna see any romance stuff. Meh." She makes a spitting noise, as if I disgust her. I roll my eyes to the ceiling.

"Whatever." I mumble. Chastity gasps.

"You can't _not _watch mushy stuff on a date!" She protests. "We're watching that new Zac Efron movie… you should see it with us!"

I scoff, "Zac Efron? No chance."

Chastity blinks, "You hate Zac Efron too?" She sighs, "Chad is exactly the same."

"That's believable." Sonny mutters, eyeballing me, "The guy seems to worship Chad."

"Uh, I'm right here." I say, and make Sonny giggle. Chastity, however, is looking at me as if she's trying to figure something out. Uh oh. Has my cover been blown?

"Okay, okay…" I raise my hands in surrender, "Mushy-slushy Zac Efron it is."

Sonny jumps just about five feet in the air, "Yay!" She squeals, before grabbing my hand and dragging me to the counter to buy tickets and a massive bucket of popcorn.

"Gee, for a small girl, you eat a lot." I comment cheekily as she shoves a handful of popcorn into her mouth. Sonny prods me with her elbow, her arms wrapped around the popcorn bucket. She has our two tickets between her teeth, and being the gentleman, I take the bucket from her tiny arm-span, putting them under my arm and smiling at her smugly.

"C'mon, you jerk." She says, skipping to join Chastity and her date (Harry, I think).

The movie is, um… bearable. Kinda. I just get bored ten minutes in and watch Sonny instead, who coos, squeals, and cries her way through the whole movie. I swear, that girl's so much more interesting than any Efron movie. Plus, her occasional sobbing gives me the opportunity to let her head rest of my shoulders and place my arm around her back, rubbing it soothingly to make sure she's okay. Whenever I do, she smiles at me thankfully, which just makes taking a girl into a lovey-dovey, crappy Zac Efron movie slightly better.

Eh, _slightly_ being the main word there. I still have no respect for Efron whatsoever. **(Don't take that to heart, btw! I think Efron's pretty good :) I loved HSM as a kid!)**

One thing I am worried about, though, is the way Chastity keeps looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I try to ignore her, but… I dunno. It's weird. I sure hope she isn't suspicious about… you know… my _secret. _Chastity's a close friend to Sonny, and I know if she'd find out, she'd flip. And then slap me, and then run and tell on me. Chastity, being the annoying, truthful girl, would make sure her bestest friend in the world knew that the guy she was dating was also the guy she hated. **(I fought the urge to rhyme here :P)**

We make it out of the movie – luckily, not as brain-dead zombies… just about, for me, anyway – and Sonny skips off to the bathroom. Ahh, that girl is just too cute.

Stupid cute.

Harry (Chastity's date), goes to fetch Chastity's purse that she 'left in the theatre'. Just, by the way she said that, I knew that she had ulterior for asking her boyfriend to go get her purse. Ugh… some girls…

When we're alone, Chastity gives me one of her weird stares again, scanning me a couple of times.

"Can I… help you, Chas?" I ask cautiously. It takes her a few seconds to respond.

"You really are familiar." She says, not really to me but more to herself. "I just can't put my finger on it…"

"I get that a lot." I excuse myself, hoping that will mean that this whole stupid conversation is over. But she continues to look at me like that new, exotic exhibit in the zoo – like I confuse her. Please. _She's_ confusing _me_.

"So, Mack…" She sighs, "You'll take good care of Sonny, right? Cos she deserves someone nice – considering all the jerkfaces she's had run-ins with here." She rolls her eyes, looking at the floor, "I swear, Ferguson is probably the only male cast member there who hasn't harassed her or been a total jerk to her. Bless her."

I swallow hard, hoping she can't see right through the disguise. I nod slowly, awkwardly, and her weird look breaks out into a grin.

"Great!" She squeals, crushing me in one of her stupid Chastity hugs. _Ugh_.

Luckily, at this moment, Sonny and Harry come back almost simultaneously. Chas pulls away from me and embraces her boyfriend, and Sonny does the exact same thing to me.

"Miss me?" She asks sweetly.

"You bet."

And that statement definitely has a double meaning.

* * *

><p>I drive Sonny home after that, which means I can get home for some well-deserved shut-eye. For the past week I've been running around like an idiot as two people – I need a break.<p>

However, that doesn't excuse me from work next day. I sleep-drive to work, nearly crashing a couple of times (good thing there are no cops around at the time…), before getting into work and only then realising that I'm still wearing the Mack wig. Ugh. I'm so tired, I don't know whether I'm coming or going.

Meh.

I make my way to my dressing room to get out of this wig, ignoring people's stares as I make my way through all the random stages to get to Stage 2. I'm pretty sure I even see the Randoms staring at me as I pass their stage to get to mine. I just hope to myself that I won't get caught in a conversation with anyone…

"Oh, hey! It's you!"

Too late.

Ick... Portlyn bumps into my chest. "Ooh… there's somethin' really hot about you, buddy." She says seductively.

Yuck.

I just walk straight past her, knowing that Sonny works here and she could see me at any point and then she'd start asking questions and I just need to get out before she asks me what's going on. Someone will probably come looking for me if I don't show up at the set soon, so I need to hurry before someone comes in while I'm taking my wig off or taking the contacts out something.

That would be an awkward situation.

…Of course, I don't know how bad it'll even be, until I get into my dressing room, start removing the wig, and hear the door swing open. A girl is stood by the door – brunette, by the looks of her. I'm too tired to tell.

And then I realise the situation, and my jaw drops open.

Eh, I'm busted.

The brunette mirrors my shocked expression.

"_What the heck?_"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ooh! He's been caught! :O**

**Sooo who do we think this 'brunette' is? I wanna see who you think! **

**And now I'm off to get working on this How To Love one-shot :D Review please!**

**~Amy x**


	11. Unravelling

**A/N: Hello, my beautiful little ducklings! Heh. I must apologise in advance for the shortness of this chap. Seriously - it's short. But I wanted to update and I'm going to my bro's friend's for his birthday later and I kinda had to rush it. I apologise if it shows :/**

**I hope you like it! I think you'll be surprised at who's discovered Chad's secret! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11 - Unravelling<strong>

Chad's POV

I stand there for an uncountable amount of seconds, staring at the door like an idiot, with the brown wig in my hand. The brunette girl steps closer into the room, pointing her finger at me. Her face looks familiar, but it doesn't exactly fit with the hair. I blink, trying to realise where I've known her from. It's only when she rips off a wig of her own to reveal blonde hair that I realise who she is.

"Tawni…" I stammer. She shakes her head at me angrily, before turning to the door and storming out. I gasp with shock when I remember that Tawni is Sonny's friend…

This is not going to end well.

"Wait!"

Dumping the wig on the couch in my room, I sprint out into the hallway to follow Tawni. I turn my head quickly to see where she's headed, and spot her briskly walking towards the Mack Falls set.

Uh oh.

She's gonna tell Sonny.

Luckily, she's wearing high heels though, so that just makes it easier for me to catch up with her before she can ruin everything. I place a hand on her shoulder and she whirls around to face me. I shudder at the look on her face – she's fuming.

"What the _hell_?" She shouts sharply, her lips pursed in a thin, angry line. "Tell me - Chad, Mack, whoever the hell you are – what. Is. Going. _On_?"

"I can explain-" Before I can, Tawni opens her mouth again.

"You'd better. Because I'm in So Random rehearsals," Oh, so that explains the brown hair, "and I get this text from Sonny saying that she just saw _Mack _and thought she was going crazy _– _and then, because I saw him too, I follow him all the way here to find out Mack has disappeared and in his place is _Chad _wearing a _brown wig._" She takes a deep, thoughtful breath, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "What… what is going on? Tell me you're not Mack – tell me this is just some sick prank of yours and that Mack is somewhere else."

I bite my lip. "It's not a prank." I admit, "I am Mack."

Tawni has a rather slow reaction. It seems that, for the first few seconds, she hasn't even heard what I said. I take a deep breath to tell her again, but suddenly Tawni's blank expression fades to be replaced with one of absolute fury.

"Well." She snaps, placing a hand on her side, "I think maybe Sonny should know about this."

"No, no, _no_!" I grab her arm before she can walk off, and she whirls around to see me again, scowling.

"Why shouldn't I?" She demands, "After all – you're just messing with her. This whole Mack thing is just a plot to hurt Sonny, isn't it?"

I sigh, "No. I could never hurt Sonny."

"Uh-huh." She says flatly, "Sure. Then tell me, Chad – why are you pretending to be some really nice guy – who's her _boyfriend_, nonetheless – when you're really just a big fat jerk who Sonny despises?"

I gulp. I suppose I've gotta tell her… "Exactly that reason." I say, hating the way my voice comes out all quiet. Tawni's fists begin to clench.

"So, lemme see if I've got this. You're being Mack because you're angry that Sonny doesn't like you, so you want to teach her a lesson by pretending to be some other guy… and then you're gonna break her heart? Is that right? Cos if it is, I'm not gonna let it happen…"

"No, nothing like that! I, um," I rub the back of my neck, "Mack was originally just a disguise to get me out of the studio without being caught by paparazzi." I explain, "Condor said that if I got any bad press, he'd fire me, so I was being extra careful."

Tawni blinks, loosening a little, "Then how does Sonny come into all this?"

"I ran into her while I was trying to get out…" I explain, remembering that night, "She was… so different. I guess I kinda fell for her…" I ignore Tawni's snort. "I knew that she didn't like _Chad… _and so I got to know her, as Mack. And the whole asking her out thing was an accident, I swear."

Tawni sighs, shaking her head. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't walk through that door and rat you out."

I smile weakly, "Because… I'll find a way to tell her myself! I promise."

Tawni folded her arms, frowning at me, "You're a jerk." She told me.

"I know." I say, "Please cover for me? Tell Sonny that, uh, that Mack came in to give me my script but had to rush off to… call his parents?"

Tawni snorts, "Wow. Mack's a Momma's Boy too, huh?"

I blinked. "Shut up, Tawni."

Luckily, Tawni reluctantly agrees to my proposition, and goes back into the Mack Falls studio to tell Sonny that she must've been seeing things, and that it was Chad – not Mack – that she saw walking past.

Of course, that just caused Sonny confusion all through the day. She keeps looking at me like I've grown two heads, and keeps asking me weird questions like "Are you and Mack related or something?" or "Seen Mack around today?" I just reply with no's every time and try to act like she's going crazy, and by the end of the day, she seems just about out of questions.

That doesn't stop her staring at me, though.

Portlyn bounces up at me at the end of rehearsals, grinning flirtatiously. I try to smile, but it doesn't come as effortlessly as when I'm with Sonny. No prizes for guessing which girlfriend I prefer.

Oh, great. I'm a liar, _and_ a cheater? This is not gonna look good on me when – _if_ – everything comes out. And I have a horrible feeling it _will, _one day.

"Hey, Chaddy!" She coos, "Wanna go see a movie tonight?"

I refrain from rolling my eyes. Something from the look in her eye is telling me that she's thinking "whoo; press, paparazzi, and attention!" rather than just a nice little date between the two of us.

Of course.

"Not tonight, Port." I say as politely as possible, "I kind of have, um, other plans…"

Portlyn suddenly pouts. You'd think this would be cute and innocent, but that girl's pout is her greatest weapon… "You're not cheating on me, are you?"

Crap. Hit the nail on the head. "No, not at all, baby!" I grit my teeth together, "I'm hanging out with a friend." It's true. I'm hanging out at Ferg's… dressed as Mack… waiting for Sonny.

Oy vey.

It's this moment when Sonny stumbles over, smiling a little. "Chad?" She says, putting on a baby voice. I bite the inside of my mouth to stop myself from grinning like an idiot, especially in front of my '_girlfriend'_. My crappy, selfish, attention-seeking girlfriend who's in this thing for the publicity. And yet she was getting so "worked up" about the possibility of me cheating on her.

_Please_.

"What is it, Sonny?" I ask. She sighs.

"Are you _sure _you and Mack aren't related? You look so familiar…"

"Who the fudge is Mack?" Portlyn asks. I huff as I realise that Portlyn was flirting with Mack at the beginning of the day, when she recognised him. Well, I may be a cheater, but, in a way, so is Portlyn.

"My boyfriend." Sonny explains. Portlyn snorts unattractively.

"You think that your fugly boyfriend could be related to my amazingly hot one? Puh-_lease._"

Sonny rolls her eyes. I smile a little, happy to see that Portlyn's stupidity isn't upsetting her.

"Whatever." She moans, turning around and trudging back to where she was previously speaking with Chastity. The moment she gets a few feet away, Portlyn snakes her hand around my waist. Agitated, I shove her away and follow Sonny.

Leaving a fuming Portlyn Madison behind me.

Tawni's POV

Rehearsals for So Random end, and Sonny comes bundling up to see us immediately. From what I know, Mackenzie Falls finishes afternoon rehearsals around the same time we do, which means that Sonny gets to visit us straight from work.

Nico, Grady, and Zora have all gone, though, which leaves Sonny and I alone to pretty much do whatever we please. Which is great – with our jobs and all the Hollywood madness, it's hard to do what we used to do as kids.

"So, what are your plans tonight?" I ask my best friend. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear – an old nervous habit that she's had since she was six.

"I'm going to see Mack later." She says. I slump my shoulders. I used to like Mack – until I found out he was Chad Dylan Cooper in disguise. Ew. How much I'd love to tell Sonny the truth and rat that jerk out. But I promised I wouldn't. I don't always keep promises – especially with jerks like him – but Sonny's my friend, and, like it or not, I care about her.

Yeah. Okay. Tawni Hart cares. Yippee.

"Sounds… cool." I say, none-too-convincingly. Sonny takes a breath, probably to ask me what's wrong.

She doesn't get chance.

Portlyn Madison, Mackenzie Falls's leading actress, steps into the Prop House, looking like she could hit someone.

"Right." She snaps, looking at a shocked Sonny, "Let's get this over with." She takes a deep breath, staring at Sonny accusingly.

"What?" Sonny asks. Portlyn's eyes flash with anger.

"You're stealing away my Chaddy."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: BUN BUN BUUHHHHH. Heheh. Sorry to leave you hanging like that _again. _And there's barely any Channy/Manny either! But hey. Like I said, I'm in a rush. Did you like it? Hate it? Tolerate it? I hope you did at least like it a little! **

**Pleeeeaaasssseeee review! I wanna get as close to ten reviews as possible this chapter! Is that okay? **

**Byeeee! **

**~Amy x**


	12. Stolen

**A/N: Hey hey peeps! I'm finally back with something that isn't QTO :P Don't worry, I'm working on it, but I really want to get going again with Double Life. I have a new story I want to post after I finish LWMS and one other story, and Double Life is the closest to being done. And as for this new story... more will be said very soon... ;)**

**Who likes the cover I made for this story? I do! I'm loving this images thing - it's real fun to do :) **

**Chapter time :) Remember, dears - I don't own Sonny with A Chance or the characters. All I own is this story's plot. :)**

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><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 12 - Stolen**

Sonny's POV

"You're stealing away my Chaddy."

Portlyn's eyes burn into mine as she scowls furiously at me. I find myself blinking rapidly in confusion.

"Come again?"

Portlyn flicks her hair behind her ear, walking further into the Prop House, but not taking her eyes off of me, even for a second.

"You're stealing Chad away from me." She says pointedly, "I can feel it."

"Um… Portlyn," I say, "I hate to break it to you, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

That just seems to rile her up further. "Oh, don't act innocent with me!" She snaps, "As if you can't see what's been staring you in the face all this time!"

I pause, taking a moment to take in all of her words. What the…?

"Honestly, Portlyn. I have no clue. Just tell me."

Portlyn chokes out a laugh, clapping a hand onto her chest, "You really are naïve, aren't you?"

"Not naïve…" I say slowly, "Unsure, maybe." I sigh, "Just explain, please."

"He was giving you _looks_." She says darkly, almost as if doing so is a crime.

Wait.

"He was giving me _what_?"

Portlyn smirks as I lose my cool a little, folding her arms, "He was looking at you. I saw it. and let's just say; he wasn't being _friendly_."

"He…" I blink, "was _looking_ at me?"

Portlyn rolls her eyes, examining her nails, "I think we've already established that."

"Why?"

Portlyn scoffs, "Why do you think? Because, apparently, you're 'pretty'." Another scoff as she puts air quotes around the word, "Puh-_lease_. I am _much_ prettier than you." She then shortens the distance between our faces, glaring into my eyes menacingly. "Chaddy is _mine_. Back off of him."

My breath catches on the back of my throat. Portlyn thinks that Chad… likes me? No… no, it couldn't be possible. Right? He… he wouldn't do that to Mack – his friend!

…Would he?

"Portlyn, I don't even want to be with Chad!" I say, "I have a boyfriend, for crying out loud!"

"And _he_ has a girlfriend." She points out, "But then again – Chad's a player. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants…" She pauses, frowning at me, "and I can tell, sweetie – he wants _you_."

I bite my lip. What am I supposed to do? I have to tell Chad that I'm not interested… let him down gently… somehow.

Oh, what a mess! If Portlyn's suspicions are correct, then Chad –_ Chad freakin' Dylan Cooper_ – likes me. Me. His best friend's girlfriend. His girlfriend's… I don't know what I am to Portlyn, to be honest, but let's just say that it's obvious we're not BFF's. His girlfriend's not-acquaintance? I dunno.

"Wh- what do I do then?" I ask warily. Portlyn smiles, almost evilly.

"Turn him down." She says, "Steer him away from you, and make him love me again."

"How?"

She shrugs, "I'm sure you'll figure something out." She lowers her voice again, "But if you mess this up, your career in this town will be dead."

And with one last glare and smirk, she flicks her hair behind her ear and stalks out of the room, making the air around her cold and tense and reek of too-strong perfume.

"Well…" Tawni says (I almost forgot she was there), breaking the awkward silence Portlyn left behind. I wave my hand in front of my nose, wafting the smell of her perfume away. "What now?"

I know exactly _what now_.

* * *

><p>"Chad?"<p>

Okay. So I have a plan. Sorta. Kinda. I'm gonna walk in to Mack Falls, see Chad, have a mature conversation with him about how he can't have romantic feelings for me, apologise politely for taking up his time, and then get the heck out.

Um. Yeah. We'll see how that works out for me. Chad has about as much maturity as a five year old, and if Portlyn's suspicions are correct, Chad won't give up until I'm his.

Oh. Joy.

Chad looks up at me from his seat on the couch in the Mack Falls lounge. The room is mostly deserted, apart from random members of staff tearing down the sets that are finished with as of today, taking away props and scripts and such ready to put it all up again tomorrow. Ooh, and Chad and I, of course.

"Oh, hey, Sonny!" He throws the magazine he was reading to the side and me a friendly smile. I smile back.

I've certainly seen a shift in Chad's character in the last few weeks, compared to the first few days I worked at The Falls. He was a jerk, a bully, and I really, really didn't like him much. But now, he just seems less moody and rude and explosive – he still has that slight egoistical edge to him, but at least he isn't checking his hair every ten minutes in the mirror and having a habit of saying his name every five. He seems a lot nicer to most of the cast-mates too, and to me.

I suddenly get a very awkward feeling. This couldn't be something to do with these supposed feelings he has for me, could they?

Oh no. So if I do this – tell him I'm not interested – he's just gonna be hurt and go straight back to being a jerk to everyone, isn't he?

Great.

I know that, maybe, for the good of the team, I should just let him live in his own fantasy world until he gets bored, realises I'm not interested, and goes off to some other pretty girl. Yeah, that sounds like a plan. I don't want to hurt his feelings, and I definitely don't want to get evil, mean Chad back. And I know that sounds mean and selfish and horrible, but think of it in this way – I don't want to hurt his feelings. He'll just get bored of me sooner or later – some hot chick will come along and steal his attention – and I can just date Mack without all the awkwardness of his best friend having a crush on me.

Yup.

But wait – what about Portlyn? I mean, the whole reason I'm here to reject Chad in the first place is because of her, and she said that if I didn't steer Chad away from me, that I'd be in trouble.

Oh. Great.

"Um, hey." I say to Chad quietly, playing with my fingers.

"Did you want to talk to me?" He asks. I nod, and he pats the space on the leather couch beside him. Hesitantly, I sit down, shuffling around to get comfy, and to get a little distance between the two of us. You know, in case he, um, gets the wrong idea.

"So, don't be shy." He says kindly, "What did you want to say?"

His gentle smile is so welcoming; I almost forget what I'm here for. I take a deep breath.

Okay. Heartbreaking time. No problem – I got this!

…But then, as I stare into his kind, friendly eyes, I realise that, well, I really _don't_ got this. He looks so happy, so joyful… I can't take that away from him, can I? Ugh, I don't even know right now.

With his expecting gaze on me, I realise that I have to say something. _Okay, Sonny, deep breaths. Just say it, and get out of here… GO!_

"See, I was just thinking, um…" Chad blinks as I speak. I swallow hard, "Uh, I was thinking… of calling my best friend back in Wisconsin.

Oh. Well that went well.

Not. Talk about off-target.

Chad blows his bangs out of his eyes, looking confused, but still in a good mood, "Good to know." He says sweetly, "Well, uh, tell her I say 'hi'."

_Okay. C'mon Munroe… don't fluff it up this time… step up to the plate, and swing… _"Yeah, cos see, my best friend, Lucy… she was having some boy troubles last time I spoke to her." Oh. Well, that wasn't too off course.

Chad nods slowly, "Right…" He blinks again, "I thought Tawni was your best friend."

"Lucy's my second in command." I say quickly. Well, at least that's not a lie. Chad laughs.

"You are funny, Sonny." He says, "Tawni's right – you would be great on a comedy show."

Aw. That's a sweet thing to say. See? He's so nice now. I don't want to take that away.

Wait.

"How did you know that Tawni said that?" I ask him, placing my hands on my hips. Has he been spying on me or something? "I've only told that to the Randoms and Mack whilst arriving here."

"Um, Mack told me." Chad shrugs, "I think I told you before. Mack and I are pretty close."

"Ohh." I say, pursing my lips together. "You two… I swear, you're like brothers."

"You have _no_ idea." Chad says, sounding suspicious - in total contrast to the rest of our conversation. I would pursue this suspicious comment, but then I remember that I'm on a mission here.

"Well, that's cool, 'cos Lucy and I are like sisters too. She tells me everything – especially about her boyfriend, Tom." _Ah, so we're going for the 'my friend' thing here, are we? Good luck with that, Munroe… _Shut up, thoughts!

Chad's eyebrows furrow together, "Where are you going with this?"

"See, Lucy has another admirer." I explain, "He's kind and sweet, but Lucy isn't interested. She doesn't want to hurt his feelings… what should she do?"

"Hm." Chad sits for a few seconds on thought. He doesn't _seem_ to have caught on… so far, so good! "Well, does Lucy like this other boy? What's he like?"

"He great. Really great." I say with a smile. "He used to be a jerk, but apparently he's grown into a really nice person since I left. He's not a bad guy, and he's pretty good-looking – he could get any girl he wants." _Ugh. _Why did I say that? I don't think Chad is good-looking… do I?

And why am I _questioning _how I feel? Stupid, stupid, _stupid_!

Chad smirks, "He could have any girl, but he's fallen for your friend?" He whistles, "She must be honoured."

"She's flattered… but she has a boyfriend." I say solemnly, "What do you think I should tell her to do?"

I try not to react as Chad shuffles a little closer to me, smiling, his eyes locked on mine. I gulp, shuffling in the backwards direction.

"She should just…" His gaze drops to my hands, as if he's debating whether to hold them or not. I think that's all the confirmation of his feelings for me that I need. "She should do what she thinks is right." He says softly, "Is she sure she likes her boyfriend? Like, really likes him?"

_Not when the other boy's staring at her like that… _wait. What am I saying?

"I… I think so…"

"You don't seem to sure." He says knowingly. Uh oh. Has he caught on? "Maybe she should give this other guy a chance."

"B-but…" _Oh, dammit, Sonny, don't stutter! _"What about her boyfriend?" My voice squeaks on the last word. Chad smirks, his kind and friendly front gone.

"To hell with him." He mumbles, before placing a soft, chaste kiss on my lips, and I freeze up completely. I hear a gasp, but am too in shock to look around and see who did it. Chad leans in for another kiss – obviously satisfied with the first – only this one goes on for so much longer. No matter how much my conscience is screaming at me to stop him, I find a hunger building in the back of my throat, and I kiss him back.

The kiss is so wrong – so, _so_ wrong. I'm _kissing_ Chad, and I haven't even kissed my own boyfriend yet – who happens to be Chad's best friend. I feel like the traitorous, evil, selfish girl who cheats on her boyfriend to drive him and his best friend apart. I should be pushing Chad away, but I just can't. I can't help it – every time I think of pulling away, the hunger just builds up to more. My conscience continues to scream at me about how I'm a filthy cheater now, until Chad finally pulls away.

And when I finally shake myself out of my shocked form, I slap him on the cheek. Hard.

"Ow!" He lets out a yelp, reaching for his precious face. I scowl at him furiously and feel somewhat pleasure at his yell. Sure, I'm the cheating cheater, but _he _kissed _me, _didn't he? Exactly.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" I shout and his eyes widen as he seems to realise what happened. He jumps immediately into defence mode.

"Oh my gosh, Sonny, I am so sorry…"

"Save it." I say, shoving a hand in his face, getting up off of the couch and turning to leave. Chad grabs my wrist before I can get away, but I tug myself out of his grip and storm away. I hear his soft footsteps behind me and groan.

"Go _away_!" I shout at him, not wanting to spend another second with that _jerk_. He kissed his best friend's girlfriend… and I let him. I let him kiss me.

_Why _did I let him kiss me?

"Sonny! There's something I need to explain to you!" He says desperately, his voice coming from only just behind me.

"I don't want to hear it!" I snap.

"But it's important!" He pleas.

"I don't care!"

"It's about Mack." He says, in a slightly quieter voice. I spin around, and he halts quickly to stop himself from walking into me. I shoot him a menacing glare.

"What is it?" I ask, sounding slightly hysterical. "That he said it was cool for you to kiss me? That's nice." I scoff at the thought. I wonder what Mack would say if he found out about this… "I know you to share everything, but girlfriends really shouldn't be on that list. Tell me something, Chad; has Mack been kissing your girlfriend too?" I frown at the thought. I know I shouldn't distrust Mack like that. Mack wouldn't do that. Mack isn't that kind of guy.

Mack isn't _Chad. _

Chad's eyes widen – he looks helpless. I would feel pity for him, had he not just _kissed _me. More than that, he made me think of him as attractive, he made me hungry for his kiss.

He turned me into a cheater. A filthy, lying cheater.

"You wanna know something, you sicko?" I spit in his face as he stares at me blankly. "I thought you were actually turning into a dcent guy!" I laugh emotionlessly, "Looks like I was wrong."

"But Sonny-"

Before he can say any more, I storm out of the room with tears stinging in my eyes.

Chad's POV

I want to follow Sonny. I really do. But I can't. Because I just did the stupidest thing possible.

I kissed her. As _Chad. _

Not Mack.

And now, she's angry with me. Heck, _I'm_ angry with me. The Mack inside me is pretty peeved, and I just, in some weird way, got Sonny to cheat on me, with me.

Um. Yeah.

And, uh, the other reason why I can't follow Sonny is the Wicked Witch of the West Coast herself.

Portlyn pretty much shoves herself in front of my path with wide eyes and a firm scowl. She holds up her phone about an inch from my face, and I push it away a little bit to see a picture of Sonny and me kissing.

Oh. Crap.

"Want to explain this _now?_" She asks, tearing her phone away from me and tapping the screen, "Or do you wanna explain it _later, _when the paparazzi arrive?"

My jaw drops, "P-paparazzi…?"

Portlyn sneers, obviously satisfied with my stuttering, "I thought they'd want to show the world that you're nothing but a _cheater_ to your poor, selfless, defenceless girlfriend." She places a hand on her forehead and sighs overdramatically, and I can't help but groan in annoyance.

"Of course, I know you need to stay out of the press, but…" Her mouth slips into a smirk, "It'll be fun to see you get in trouble with the boss man!"

"What do I have to do to stop you from calling them?" I ask with a sigh. Portlyn giggles.

"You can't do anything!" She says excitedly, "You're not gonna be able to avoid the press… that is, unless you have, like, some sort of disguise or something…"

Ooh. There's an idea.

* * *

><p>A few minutes pass, and I'm ready to make my great escape. With my wig, contacts, and blue hoodie (luckily, I left my Mack outfit in my dressing room for no particular reason. That decision is really paying off now), I make my way out of the studio. Fortunately, as I pass the paparazzi and an eagerly waiting Portlyn, none of them recognise me as Chad.<p>

Unfortunately, Portlyn recognises me as _Mack_.

"Hey!" She calls after me. I hear the tapping of her high heels and groan as she tugs at my arm. You'd think, seeing as I have longer legs than her and am wearing sneakers, I'd have been able to escape from her grip. But _no_. The girl's like a viper.

"Hey! What's-her-name's boyfriend, right?"

I pull my arm out of her grip, pulling my hood down so that it covers the top half of my face. I clear my throat, trying to disguise my voice a little. "Sonny's boyfriend, yeah. Um, this has been nice, but I need to go…"

I turn away, but Portlyn tugs me back, relentless. I see the paparazzi approach behind her, like eager little puppies, while Portlyn grins hugely at me. She pulls her phone out her pocket – the phone that has the picture of me and Sonny kissing on it.

Oh crap. If the paparazzi see that… that'll be my strike two gone. And that'll mean that I'm just that one step closer to losing my career.

Great.

"I have a photo that you should really take a look at…" Portlyn tells me, wiggling the phone in front of my face.

"I'll do just that!" I say, snatching the phone off of her and legging it, leaving her stood there in shock. "Thanks!" I yell behind my shoulder, just in time to see her recover from her shock and scream some pretty ugly words at me. I roll my eyes, getting in _Chad's_ car and wishing that Portlyn won't notice.

But by the look on her face I see when I'm driving away – fists clenched, arms folded, half-scowl, half-knowing smirk – I have a gut-wrenching feeling that she noticed. She noticed all too well.

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><p><strong>AN: Oooohhhh! Portlyn's getting suspicious, eh? :D**

**Soo, what did you guys think? What will Chad do next to fix his big mix-up? Find out next time I update! (which hopefully will be very soon) :)**

**Don't forget to drop me a review, ducklings! ;D**

**~Amy x**


	13. Damage Control

**A/N: Heyy! Whoa, fast update or what? :D**

**I spent most of this morning, lying in bed, writing the second half of this chap. I'm really proud of myself :P **

**Now, guys, I gotta warn you, so no-one's too spaced out - this story is coming close to the end! I never really planned for this to be long, and I have that story planned that will come next! Double Life will probably be 15/16 chapters long by the end, so remember that :P We're almost there! **

**hope for eternity: Lol. Maybe it does... o.O O.o Lol switching eyes and hotdog pizza! #memoriesrule **

**Dudes, I don't own SWAC. Deal with it. **

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><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 13 - Damage Control**

Sonny's POV

"You're telling me that he kissed you?"

I nod.

"On the lips?"

Another nod.

"…Chad kissed _you?_"

"That's what I said."

My blonde best friend's eyes widen, and she purses her lips together into a thin line. We're in the So Random Prop House, along with the rest of her cast, who are doing their own thing. But their ears are slightly perked – you can tell that they're listening in to our conversation, eager to her about the latest Chad Dylan Cooper mess-up. They loathe the guy, after all – his farces are probably entertaining for them to hear about. Chad Dylan Cooper never messes things up with a girl. This event has probably been _world_-changing.

Okay, so it was probably not that big of a deal, but you get the idea.

"I knew it." Tawni spits. "I knew it. I knew it!"

"Knew what?"

Tawni places her hands on her hips, "That Chad's plan all along was to mess with you! I mean, he kissed you, for crying out loud!"

I blink, "Mess with me? Portlyn said that it was because he liked me."

Tawni wiggles her blonde eyebrows. "I doubt it. He's been messing with you, with this whole Mack thing…"

"What are you getting at, Tawni?" I ask, my eyes narrowing curiously, "What Mack thing?"

Tawni pats my lap patronisingly, giving me a sympathetic smile. "We need to do some damage control here. We need to find a way to get you away from Chad, honey." She says, rather than answering my question. "It's for your own good – protection. First off, we need to find you a need job, away from the Falls, so you're not around him all day."

"But I like working at the studios." I protest, a pout slipping onto my lips. It's true – no matter how far this 'new job' has to be from Chad, I won't work outside the studio. I love it too much here.

Tawni's eyes suddenly widen with triumph. "I have a plan!" She announces.

"Uh oh. This should be interesting…" Zora mumbles, rolling her eyes as she looks up from her latest invention. Zora's one crazy kid, always with some kind of invention in her hands. I don't know what this one is – it looks like a futuristic cuckoo clock.

Tawni ignores Zora's sarcastic comment and grins at me, grabbing my hands, "We are gonna get you a job on So Random!"

"As an assistant!"

"No!" She giggles, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder, "As a cast member! Mandy left two months ago and we still need a new member, but Condor hasn't found anyone he likes. Think about it, Sonny! You'd be perfect!" Tawni looks proud of herself as the other Randoms mumble in agreement. A whole load of butterflies build up all of a sudden in my stomach.

"Guys, I don't know…" I say hesitantly.

"Awh, c'moooonn!" Tawni coos, poking my arm teasingly.

"Tawni's always sayin' how funny you are." Nico speaks up from the video game he and Grady are playing, "By the sounds of it, you'd be an awesome addition to the show!"

"Think about it, Sonny…" Tawni says in a sudden dramatic tone, "The lights, the cameras, the fame, the fortune… the hot vampire-actor boyfriends!"

I roll my eyes, stopping myself from mentioning to Tawni that I do already have a boyfriend. I may have been unfaithful to Mack once, but I'm not planning on doing so again. That is, if he forgives me for the kiss with Chad…

"C'mon…" Grady moans as everyone edges closer to me with scarily wide grins. "You know you want to…"

I raise my hands in surrender, giggling a little, "Okay! Okay! I'll audition, and if Condor likes me, I'll decide then."

The room explodes with cheers and whoops and hollas, and I find a small smile creeping onto my lips. I might actually become a cast member on my favourite show! Oh, this is so exciting! I can't wait to tell Mack!

Chad's POV

Sonny calls me while we're both at work. And, of course, by that I mean she calls Mack. Which is faintly awkward, because she is stood five feet away while I'm rehearsing a scene when she calls. Good thing my phone's on vibrate or she might've heard the ring and got kinda suspicious.

I apologise to the director, a young blonde woman named Angela, and disappear to my dressing room. I have a freaky suspicion that someone's following me, but I let it slide.

"Hey, Sonny!" I say happily when I answer the phone in Mack's slightly deeper voice.

"Hey!" She sounds pleased to speak to me. Really pleased.

"What's the news?" I ask her, "You havin' fun at work? Are the cast messing with your head?"

Sonny pauses for a second. "...Mack, did you hear?" She asks finally, no longer sounding as happy and, well, _sunny_.

"Hear what?" I ask.

"About..." She sighs, and then gets slightly hysterical, "I'm really sorry - he kissed me, I didn't kiss him, I promise!"

My heart sinks. I know exactly what she's talking about.

"Who kissed you?" I ask, shocked, pretending I haven't heard of this news at all. Sonny sighs again in despair.

"Chad." She says, "We were talking and he kissed me... I'm really, really sorry..."

"It's okay." I cut her off, not wanting to talk about this anymore. "I'll speak to Chad later."

"I'm sorry I've come between your friendship." Sonny says in a small voice.

"Don't worry, babe." I say softly, "I'll sort it. So, any good news?"

"Actually, yeah." She perks up a bit, sounding like my Sonny again, "You'll never guess! I swear, you won't guess what I have an audition for! ...Oh crap, I just told you I have an audition! I'm really bad at this game."

I laugh at her babbling, "An audition? What for? A commercial?"

"Bigger!"

"A TV show?" Wow.

"Yup! Ah, but which one?"

I stick my tongue out in thought. "No idea, tell me."

"Okay!" I imagine her grinning, "I... have an audition... for So Random!"

...So Random?

Why does she have an audition for So Random?

"See, Tawni thought that I'd be best away from Chad after the..." Her voice turns awkward, "the kiss."

The kiss. Of course.

"So I'm gonna audition for So Random to get away from Chad, but also because it's my dream!"

So she's leaving Mack Falls to get away from me? See, this is why Mack is so necessary.

I put on a brave face. Or voice, since she can't see my face. "That's awesome, Sonny! I am crazy proud of you!"

"You think I'll get it?" Sonny asks shyly.

"Babe, you're my girl. You're funny, beautiful, talented, good-hearted... of course you'll get it!"

I can imagine her blushing, "Thanks, Mack."

"No problem, m'lady."

She giggles sweetly, and I just about melt. I hear faint yelling in the background. It sounds like Skyler.

"Ugh." Sonny moans, "Gotta go. Duty calls."

"I'll miss you, babe."

"I'll miss you more!"

"Nuh-uh, not possible!"

"Is too, possible!"

"Not."

"Too!"

"Not."

"Too!"

"_Sonny_!" The voice on the other end gets more impatient, and adds on a profanity. I roll my eyes. I'm gonna have to oh-so-carefully tear Skyler's arms off when I get back there.

"Bye!" Sonny coos one last time before hanging up. I smile, making my way towards the door, only to bump into someone on my way out.

"Hey there, cheater!" Portlyn says, waving her phone in my face. I gulp.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I mumble quickly, avoiding eye contact.

Portlyn presses a button on her phone, and suddenly a video starts playing. It's of me.

It's of me only a few minutes ago.

Talking to Sonny.

Calling her babe. Calling her m'lady. Calling her beautiful and talented and funny.

Oops. Busted.

And now I regret bringing Portlyn back her phone that she gave to Mack. I should have thrown it away never to be seen again.

"So you are cheating on me with Bunny!"

I stare at her incredulously for a second, "First off, it's Sonny..."

"Oh, I don't give a crap!" She snaps, "Just tell me, why are you cheating on me with her, huh? Is it cos you think she's prettier than me? Because, Chaddy, if you think that's the case, you need to get your eyes checked."

I roll my eyes to the ceiling, "I'm not cheating on you with Sonny."

"Oh, really?" Her eyes flash. "Then explain exactly what you were doing when you called her "beautiful" and "talented" and blah blah blah!"

"I was complementing her." I say shortly, "It's this new thing, Portlyn, you should try it."

Portlyn shoots me a death glare. "And what about What's-His-Face, huh? Sonny's boyfriend?"

"Mack."

"Him." Portlyn nods, "What would he have to say if he saw this?"

I just shrug, having no other answer.

"Hmm." Portlyn purses her lips together in thought, "I'll tell you what I'll do. I'm gonna show this recording to Sonny, and then show it to her boyfriend, too! Then your perfect little secret relationship will be over!"

She claps, satisfied with her plan, and I watch her flounce down the hallway, while calculating something.  
>If she shows that video to Sonny, Sonny will recognise the conversation and know that I'm Mack.<p>

Ohhh no.

"Wait!"

I tug at Portlyn's shirt, stopping her from stalking off. She let's out an undignified shriek.

"Get off of me, freak!"

"You can't show that footage to Sonny!" I say, pulling her back into my dressing room and shutting the door behind us.

"And why not?" She challenges me, placing her hands on her hips.

She stares me down, and I give in. I walk over to my vanity where the wig and contacts sit, and put on my disguise. Portlyn's eyes widen in shock and disgust.

"Recognise me?" I ask with a meek chuckle. Portlyn scowls, shaking her head. I decide to resort to begging - surely Portlyn has a sense of reason under all that make-up and ego-cloud, right?

"Portlyn, I'm begging you - don't show Sonny that footage."

Portlyn folds her arms across her chest, "Oh, I won't." I smile thankfully, but her expression doesn't soften. "I think I'll show a magazine publisher instead! Or, better yet, Tween Weekly TV! That'll get gossip out."

My heart sinks. "You can't do that!"

"I think you'll find I can!" Portlyn says perkily, "And I will."

I bite my lip, "If you do that, I'll- I'll..." A light bulb goes off in my head. "I'll dump you." That'll stop her. Portlyn's dating me for publicity. If I dump her, her publicity will only go downhill, and I doubt she'd enjoy that.

Portlyn studies me for a second, eyes narrow, a scowl spread across her face, before she walks out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

...Well.

That could've gone better.

I leave my dressing room, and Angela the director comes running up to me immediately.

"Where's Chad?" She asks.

"Huh?" I then remember that I forgot to take off my wig, "Oh, uh, Chad and Portlyn had a fight and Chad went home." I glance around. Portlyn isn't here. She can't have shown the footage to Sonny then... but maybe she's taken it to Tween Weekly!

Angela rolls her eyes, "Great." She moans, "Two of my stars have gone AWOL." She shakes her head, "Right. Everyone go home for the afternoon!" She instructs the staff, "We'll sort these remaining scenes out tomorrow."

The staff and cast begin to trickle out of the room, and suddenly a pair of arms wrap themselves around me.

"Mack!" Sonny squeals, nestling her head into my chest. I smile sadly. If Portlyn shows the footage to Tween Weekly, this is not going to last long. Might as well savour it.

"Hey, beautiful."

"Why are you here?" She asks.

"Um, Chad called me and asked me to come over to help with the Portlyn situation."

She frowns, "But weren't you mad at him for... kissing me?"

"Yeah..." I say, "But he's my friend. The fight was nasty and I had to be there for him."

Sonny smiles sweetly, "You're so forgiving." She coos, before turning and skipping off. I watch her, letting out a long sigh.

_I just hope you are, too..._

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><p><strong>AN: Pfft, I'm gonna stop there. I'll get the next chapter up soon :)**

**Sooo... what will Portlyn do? We'll find out next time! ;)**

**Review, my Amyzing Ducklings! (lol Bobbie!) I want at least 7 reviews for this chapter! Let's see if we can beat last chap's total. Oh, and if you haven't reviewed last chap and you usually do, please go back. I'd appreciate it! :D (lol whiny)**

**Love y'all!**

**~Amy x**


	14. Love Rectangle

**A/N: Aww, I am so sad for how quickly this story is finishing, but it's just so fun to write! And besides, it does mean I'll be able to post that new story sooner... For those of y'all who have seen my profile, the next story I will update is called _Lost Soul. _Wanna know what it's about? Go check the preview on m'profile! ;D**

**Shout-out to Clover108 for her awesome reviews! Okay, to post... do you think you allow your PMs, just so I could send you one and explain? It's too long of a process to type out here. I can't wait to read your stuff, by the way! :) And yes, Skyler is a character - he plays Devon in the show, but for some weird reason they name the people in Mack Falls by their characters names, apart from Chad :P And thank you so much for saying that I'm inspiring! You're so sweet!**

**Also thanks to dear MiiMyselfandTime for all her lovely reviews! Girrlll... BTR references rock :P NMWWWABC! Yus ;D**

**Enjoy a'readin'! I don't own Sonny with A Chance! :P**

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><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 14 - Love Rectangle**

Sonny's POV

"C'mon, Sonny!" My best friend squeals, marching down the corridor to Mr Condor's office. I follow behind her, having to speed-walk just to keep up with her. The girl's an expert at walking in high heels, and me? I'm a Converse/ballet flats kind of girl. So when I do wear heels, I end up tripping, like, at least five times, cos I'm the much of a klutz.

Wait… what was the point in that little ramble up there?

Oh yeah. Condor's office.

For my audition.

_Yikes_.

Ever since Tawni brought up the suggestion of me becoming a cast member on So Random (ahhh!) this morning, she's been keenly organising my "audition", getting Marshall Pike (the executive producer of So Random) to set me up a time to see Mr Condor. Condor was, oddly, eager to see me (which apparently is nuts for Condor – he never gets excited, from what I've heard from Tawni. He sounds almost evil), and so he agreed to see me tonight.

_Tonight_.

As in, _right now._

As in, I've had, like, an hour to put this all together.

…I really hope he takes that into consideration. Otherwise he's gonna take one look at me and my craptacular audition and deject me.

_Meh_.

Okay, so don't get me wrong. I am uber-ecstatic for this – if it goes well, I could be starring on So Random next week! Uh, and the week after. And the week after. And for an indefinite amount of weeks afterwards. But I'm also nail-bitingly, heart-thumpingly, palm-sweatingly nervous. If those are even real words. Which they are, in my books, now. Yeah.

So that, in a nutshell (that's one loooong nutshell) is why I'm rambling. Cos I'm, basically, _feeling-a-little-sickily _nervous.

Uhhh-_huh_.

…Okay, I'm gonna stop with the rambling and the making up of words now.

Okay, focus Sonny. Eye of the tiger…

_Whoo_!

I got this!

…Kinda.

Maybe.

I dunno.

Anyway.

We reach the office – me, Tawni, and the other Randoms trailing behind, who have come to be my little support team – and Tawni gives me a little pep talk before turning on her heels and flouncing away.

"Wait, where are you going?" I call after her.

"Yeah!" Zora shouts, waving around her little 'GO SONNY' flag that she made. Aw. Bless. "We need your help with cheering her on!"

Tawni turns around and gives us all a sweet smile and an innocent shrug. "I just need to go have a word with someone." She says simply, before turning back around elegantly and wandering down the corridor until she is out of sight.

Oh.

Well.

Now I'm screwed.

"Don't worry, Sonny!" Grady beams supportively, "Me and Nico made you this awesome banner! The letters are all made of different kinds of cheese! If you mess up in there, you can just look at us sat at the side with our banner and it'll totally inspire you!"

I chuckle, "You guys do realise that you can't come into the audition, right?"

Their faces fall. "Awh, what a waste of cheese!" Nico moans.

"We can't eat it now – it's got all glue on it!" Grady adds sombrely. I giggle a little. Gotta love those boys.

"But it's the thought that counts!" I say with a wide smile which seems to cheer them up a bit.

"Miss Sonny Munroe?" A brunette woman wearing glasses pokes her head out of the door. Her name-tag identifies her as 'Alice', and she is dressed pretty smartly – a black pencil skirt and a pale blue shirt. The colour of the shirt oddly reminds me of Chad Dylan Cooper's eyes…

I mentally slap myself. Thrice.

Number one is for thinking of Chad. That _jerk_.

Number two is because Chad's eyes are so much brighter and a nicer shade of blue than that…

And number three, is for thinking number two. Pssh. Please. I mean, if Alice's shirt had been brown, I'd probably have thought of Mack's eyes, right? I totally didn't just think about Chad's eyes because I like him or anything… and besides, Mack's eyes are so much shinier than Chad's. Uh huh. So take that, evil blue-eyed blonde-haired jerkface!

HA!

Okay, enough with this…

"You're gonna do great, Sonny!" Zora squeals supportively as the boys say;

"Good luck!" They all wave me in and then I'm faced with Mr Condor's massive desk and Mr Condor's cool swively chair, and, uh, oh yeah, _Mr Condor,_ along with Mr Pike, who is eagerly staring down at his phone, waiting for a call (from what Tawni's told me, probably from his mommy). He puts the phone away when he sees me and smiles kindly, and I take a small bit of comfort for that. Mr Condor's glare is ice-cold though, which is a little intimidating. I take a deep breath, like Tawni instructed me to.

_Here we go…_

Chad's POV

Tawni just called me to So Random. Right. Why do I have this aching feeling that this is gonna mean trouble?

I enter the So Random Prop House, still fully-dressed as Mack, half-expecting to see Sonny and the Randoms hanging out. But the lights are down and Tawni is stood in the centre of the room, glowering at me menacingly. If I wasn't slightly freaked out, I would roll my eyes. Talk about setting the scene. I flick the light switch beside me, and regret it immediately. Tawni's even scarier in the light.

"Hello, Chad." She says darkly, like one of the bad guys in those action movies. I stare at her dubiously, kinda frozen.

"Um…" I thaw out and look around, making sure we don't have company, "It's Mack, actually…" I say.

"Relax, Cooper." She says, holding up her phone, "Everyone's at Sonny's audition. But, uh, I am recording this whole conversation, so if you say anything that I think my best friend should know of, I'll have it right here." She points to her phone. I gulp, taking a couple of cautious steps forward. Tawni sits down on the green couch in the centre of the room, patting the space next to her. I warily sit down, and when I do, she whacks me around the face.

"_Oof_!" I say, recoiling. Tawni smirks a little.

"Well, that was satisfying." She says, before lowering her voice, "Right, pretty boy, let's get this out of the way. Tell me; because I am curious… _why _did you kiss my best friend?"

"Because… she's my girlfriend." I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Tawni whacks me again.

"She's _Mack's _girlfriend_! _Not _Chad's_!"

I can't help but mess with her. "But I _am_ Mack."

Her cold blue eyes flash with anger and she whacks me again. "And you kissed her as _Chad! _So tell me what the _hell_ is up with you! Do you like messing with girls' heads for fun, huh?"

I bite my lip, "No."

"Then why'd you do it to Sonny?" She asks, "Poor, innocent, little Sonny. My naïve little best friend… you messed with her, and now she's acting totally confused!"

I blink, "Confused?"

"Yeah." She scoffs, folding her arms, "She's been spacin' out and stuff, and… I dunno. She's been thinking about you."

"Me?" I can't help but feel a small bit of satisfaction for that, "What's she been thinking about me?"

Tawni frowns, grumbling incoherently under her breath. "She'd probably deny it if I mentioned it to her… but she's feeling attraction towards you. As in, _Chad _you."

I doesn't know whether to weep with joy or beat myself up for that, but since the first seems totally weak and the second is just insane, I just smile a little. Tawni growls.

"Don't smile! This is not something to smile about!"

"It is a little." I shrug, "If Sonny's feeling attraction to Chad, it means I can get rid of Mack, dump Portlyn, and date Sonny as Chad and everything could just be normal!"

Tawni punches me in the arm, "Are you _serious?_" She glares at me so intensely, if looks could kill, I'd probably drop dead right now. "Chad, you can't just dump Mack and expect Sonny to be totally fine! What do you think she'll say when Mack disappears and you come along and say "hey, I'm your boyfriend now!"?"

I roll my eyes a little. Her impression of me is totally inaccurate.

But she has a point.

Ugh. I hate it when Randoms have points.

"Dude, you have to get your act together." She says quietly, but sternly, "I'm serious. Tell Sonny what's going on, or I will."

* * *

><p>The next day is a Saturday, and Sonny and I (Mack) hang out pretty much all day. Sonny seems a little dazed and faraway all through the day – sometimes she claims it's because she's thinking about how her audition went last night, and sometimes she claims it's about… "somethin' else"… (A.k.a. me. <em>Chad<em> me).

Trying to distract her from whatever's going on in her head, I drag her to as many places that she has before claimed she'd love to go as possible. The park, the beach, some aquarium (she adored the fish and claimed she wanted to take a dolphin home with her. I don't get why she wants to though – dolphins are just annoying, and one of them splashed me in the face. Stupid fish. Or mammal. Or whatever those things are).

I also spend the day debating in my head whether I should just get it over with and tell Sonny the truth, and then take the consequences like a man, or just wing it and hope and pray that Portlyn didn't give the footage to Tween Weekly or some magazine and that everything can go on like normal.

Okay, so maybe everything going on like normal isn't so much of a good idea. Sonny's gotta find out some day, right? I mean, we can't be, like, married with three kids or something and then I just wake up one day and rip off the wig and go "hey, Sonny, guess who it is!" Something tells me that wouldn't end well…

But I'm just too much of a coward to 'fess up already.

By the time the day is all over, I collapse onto the couch at Sonny's apartment with an exhausted sigh. Sonny, copying my collapsing-sighing thing, flicks on the TV. Tween Weekly is on, and suddenly my heart drops at the memory of a sneering, mean female voice;

_"I think I'll show a magazine publisher instead! Or, better yet, Tween Weekly TV! That'll get gossip out."_

I swallow hard. I haven't seen Portlyn since last night, when she vowed to let out the footage that she took when I called Sonny, pretending to be Mack. I don't know how this whole thing would look to the public – that is, if Portlyn even gives them the footage…

Which she probably will.

Okay. So in that case, I suppose now is the only time I'm gonna get to actually confess this to Sonny and not be caught out. If Tween Weekly shows the video, then it's pretty much me being caught red-handed. Maybe if I tell Sonny before the video comes on, she'll go easier on me.

"Sonny, there's something I need to say to you…"

"Shush!" She says, prodding her finger in my face, "I wanna hear this!"

The image of Santiago Heraldo appears on the screen, as he gives his mysterious, raised-eyebrow look to the viewers. I roll my eyes – that is _not_ a good look for him.

_"Now, folks, that's almost the end of our show…"_ I sigh in relief; Ferguson told me he'd call me if anything came up on the news about me on Tween Weekly, and he hasn't called me all day. Maybe Portlyn had a change of heart and decided not to give the footage to them? _"But before we go, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for! We've been dragging this story out all afternoon, and, well, it is finally here!"_

Oh crap.

The shot angle changes, and the camera is now closer up, as he continues, _"Now, I told you earlier that we had some suspicious and sneaky footage to show you, and c'mon, viewers, when do I ever lie about that?" He grins proudly, "So, here it is! Check out this juicy clip of one of our favourite bad boys flirting with a girl… who is not his girlfriend!"_

A gasp plays in the background. "Sonny, let's just turn this over…" I say desperately, reaching for the remote in her left hand. But she flinches that hand out of my reach, her eyes eagerly fixed on the screen. I clench my fists, praying to God that this isn't what I think it is.

And then, when the footage of me identical to that which Portlyn showed me last night appears, I know that I'm pretty much doomed.

Sonny's POV

The moment the host of Tween Weekly starts speaking, I watch as Mack gets a little uncomfortable. He reaches for the remote in my hand, but I don't let him take it. I want to see what's going on that's so big that they've been dragging it out all day! And I guess I also wanna know why Mack feels such a need to hide it…

Santiago Heraldo disappears and a fuzzy image shows up on the screen instead. I guess that, with the bad quality, it's a video taken by a phone.

But that's not what captures my full attention.

It's the guy on the screen who makes me suddenly ten times more interested.

Chad Dylan Cooper. In all his stupid hot glory, on the screen. I berate myself for thinking of him as _hot. _How dare I? Especially when my boyfriend is sat right next to me, looking as if he wants to break the TV.

"Th- this is pathetic." Mack mumbles, making a dive for the remote again, "It's a bunch of lies."

"No!" I say, snatching the remote away from him, turning up the volume as it's really quiet, "I want to see this!"

On the screen, I recognise the setting easily. Chad is in his dressing room, and his phone is ringing. The person filming has the door open just a crack, and Chad has his back to him/her. When the voice giggles in a high pitch, I realise that it's a girl. I wonder who…

"_Got any good news?" _The on-screen Chad says. I blink. His voice sounds deeper than usual. Hmm. Maybe that's due to the fact that it's on video. Hmm. I dunno.

"_What's the news? You havin' fun at work?" _His voice begins to sound a little familiar, and so does the conversation. I look over at Mack, who is chewing his lip and rocking backwards and forwards. He seems to realise that my gaze is on him, and he glances over at me, trying to smile. It comes off really faked. It suddenly becomes clear as day – he's hiding something.

Chad on the screen continues to talk about an audition. An audition? Audition for what? And why is this conversation so familiar? And why is Mack looking at me, like he's anticipating for me to do something?

All my questions are answered and all my sanity is lost when the Chad on screen says;

"That's awesome, Sonny!"

...

Sonny.

_Sonny._

_Me._

So, that totally explains why the conversation is so familiar. Because it's a conversation with _me_. And now I feel stupid for not realising it in the first place.

But that's not the thing I'm really focusing on.

I turn to Mack, who is wincing a little. "Wha – what was that?" I ask him.

He bites his lip, "I don't know…" He says. I snort derisively.

"I think you're lying." I say. My voice sounds kind of spiteful, but I'm too busy being bewildered to care. "Why the heck was Chad Dylan Cooper talking to me, pretending to be you?"

Because, of course, that conversation they just showed was a conversation that I had with Mack only yesterday, so of course I'd remember it (okay, so it took me a little while, but still…). But Chad was having a conversation with me, pretending to be Mack? I just… don't get it…

_"Now, you all may be wondering…"_ The sound of the voice on the TV changes back to that of Santiago, _"… 'who is this 'Sonny' girl that seems to have stolen the heart of our favourite tween megastar', right? Well, we did a little research… and here she is, people!"_

A picture of me flashes up beside Santiago, and my jaw flaps open. Mack cringes beside me. He has a lot of explaining to do…

"_Allison Munroe, more commonly named 'Sonny',"_ Santiago begins, _"is the assistant on the bad boy's number one show, Mackenzie Falls. According to our research, she is sixteen and from Wisconsin – well, who would expect our star to fall for a girl as small-town as that?"_ Santiago smirks,_ "And word on the street is – Sonny recently auditioned for fellow tween show So Random. Word hasn't been released yet about whether she got the part or not, but if she does, I think we're looking at the new celebrity 'it' couple!"_

I find my heart sinking into my boots. The public thinks Chad and I are dating.

_Dating_.

"_Ah, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows for the couple!" _Santiago continues with a half-smirk. Evidently, he's happy with how this report seems to be going. Some drama will do nicely for his little tangled spider-web of a story, _"Cooper is, in fact, still dating fellow Mackenzie Falls star Portlyn Madison, and it is believed that Munroe is off the market too at the moment – she has been seen out with this boy."_

The cued picture of Mack pops up – it looks like it's from today, at the aquarium.

_Today. _

Someone took a picture of me, and I didn't even know.

…I guess that's what happens when you're a "celebrity". It scares me to think the first time I've been shown on TV is as a lying cheater who's been exposed worldwide on a tween gossip show. The public's view of me must be pretty awful right now.

"_So, what will happen within this love rectangle?" _Santiago asks rhetorically as four pictures – one of each of us in this acclaimed "love rectangle" (pfft) – _"You can trust that we'll keep you updated on all the news, so keep an eye out!"_

Santiago signs off and the show ends, but I don't really care. I'm too busy watching Mack, who has his head in his hands and is mumbling something disjointed.

"Mack?" I say. He looks up at me suddenly, his eyes filled with regret.

"I… I wanted to tell you…"

"T-tell me what?"

His eyes lighten, but only slightly. "You don't know what's going on, do you?"

I shake my head, feeling slightly stupid. "Um… no?"

He brightens up a little, before he shakes his head. "No." He says miserably, "No more hiding."

My throat feels suddenly tight. "Hiding what?"

Mack stares at me for a second, almost like he's trying to imprint the look on my face onto his memory. He sighs, reaching his hand up to touch his hair. He tugs at it, and I'm dazed as his brown locks fall into his lap. My jaw drops open. A wig? I look up at his face as he reaches for his eyes. He passes me two small objects – contact lenses. I dare to glance up at him and recognise him immediately.

"…Chad?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Buh buh buuhhhh! So there we go. The truth is out! **

**Soo... thoughts, guys? Review please!**

**~Amy x**

**PS: I have three more exams next week. I'm kinda worried about the third one - Physics. Think about me, please! x**

**Love you guys. :D**


	15. Consequences

**A/N: Ugh. FanFiction sucks sometimes. Seriously, I was like, five lines away from finishing proofreading and it screwed up. So now I've gotta do it all over again. Boo. ;_;**

**Anyway, here it is! The penultimate chapter! Who's excited? :P Oh, and my exams are pretty much done - just one more French one that should be easy, so long as I put in the effort. Yeah. Ooh, and I have work experience soon! I'm going into my local primary school to work with Year 5's! So cute! :D**

**Clover108 - To enable PMs, you go to 'Account', 'Settings', scroll down to 'Accept PMs' or something like that, and click on 'yes' and 'save'. Don't forget 'save'! (Seriously, personal experience)**

**Enjoy the chap y'all! I don't own SWAC ;_;**

* * *

><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 15 - Consequences**

Sonny's POV

"…Chad?"

Chad's blue - blue, no longer brown - eyes avert from mine, like he's too ashamed to look at me. My eyes shift between him and the wig in his lap, to him, to the wig again. I start to pray this is just some kind of sick joke - hey, I always said Mack and Chad were like brothers, right? Maybe they are- I mean, aside from a few things, like hair and eye colour, they're identical. Maybe- maybe Mack was busy and didn't want to let me down so had Chad dress as him and go out with me today. Right?

Right?

"Sonny..." He trails off into silence, biting his lip. He doesn't quite know what to say.

But I do.

"Where's Mack?" I ask, my voice shaking. I sound in hysterics, like a bomb that'll explode any second now...

Chad brushes his blonde bangs out of his face, "There... there is no Mack." He says, looking up at me with regretful eyes and a small, hopeful smile, "Just me."

My heart sinks as I finally put two and two together. "You're Mack."

Chad nods wordlessly.

"You have been this whole time."

Another nod.

My fists clench and my shoulders become tense, "Mack never existed." I say, gritting my teeth.

"I'm sorry, Sonny." He says sympathetically. My eye twitches.

"You're sorry?" He nods slowly. "You're... sorry?"

"That's what I said." He mutters, trying for a smile. I don't return it. I don't know how, but suddenly a wave of anger rushes through me and I shoot to my feet, throwing the contacts in my hand onto the coffee table. Chad copies, frowning, placing the wig in his lap on the couch.

"So- so you just made up Mack?" Chad nods. A cloud builds inside my chest - I feel like I could barf. I want to do so too, all over his evil, lying little face.

"Was this all some kind of sick joke?" I ask, hysteria making my voice snap. Something starts bubbling up inside me - anger? Betrayal? Whatever it is, it causes a tear to spill out from my eye and down my cheek.

Chad's eyes widen. Pfft. Like he cares. "Oh, Sonny, babe, don't cry..." He reaches his hand out to wipe away the tear, but I flinch out of the way.

"_Don't_ call me that." I snap, "And _don't_ touch me."

Chad's eyes fill with hurt, and something tells me he deserves it. He deserves to feel hurt.

"This isn't a joke, I swear." He says, "I am Mack."

"I know that." I snap, "What I don't know is what possessed you to think that this was a good thing to do!"

Chad blinks, "Huh?"

"Why'd you do it?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. "Why did you just lie to me about who you were? Was it some prank to make me fall for you? Cos congratulations, it totally worked..."

"No, Sonny, I swear!" Chad frowns, running a hand through his hair in impatience. "I wouldn't play a prank on you!"

I scoffed. "Yeah. Right. So you thought this was all just for fun, huh?"

"N-no." Chad blinks, "I had a reason…"

"Which was?" I ask, my teeth gritting together, "C'mon – dazzle me with this reason."

Chad takes a breath to speak, and then slams his mouth shut. "Uh, well, I just…"

I feel a sprout of satisfaction as he trips over his words. "I'm waiting."

"It was a disguise."

My shoulders slump, "A _disguise?_" Chad nods slowly, "So all this time, Mack was a disguise, and I was just a _prop_? Is that it?"

Chad shakes his head, "Oh, no, Sonny, I didn't mean that…"

"Forget it." I snap, placing a hand on my forehead. "Just… leave me alone. Please."

Chad's eyes widen, and he gawks at me for numerous seconds, "Sonny, just listen to me…"

"_No_!" I don't know what it is, but something snaps inside me. I pick up the wig and the contacts and throw them swiftly at him, saying, "Just take _Mack _and get out of here!" Chad drops the wig and something dark inside me feels pleasure in his failure, and then I shake my head. What is it about Chad that turns me into such a horrible, bipolar person?

Chad looks at me, just stares at me, his eyes crossing back and forth over my face like he's trying to read me, trying to find some way to get me to change my mind. But to no prevail.

"Goodbye, Sonny." He says softly, in monotone, walking out of the door and shutting it softly behind him. I watch him go, tears bubbling up in my eyes, and as the door clicks shut they finally overflow.

* * *

><p>Morning comes slowly, and when it finally arrives, I open the front door to my apartment block to be attacked by paparazzi. They approach with cameras and mics, shoving them none-too-gently into my face. My heart sinks. I should've known this would happen. I got an article on Tween Weekly, portrayed as Chad Dylan Cooper's secret girlfriend and a total cheater, and I didn't expect that the next day would end up in my first paparazzi experience.<p>

I somehow fight my way to my car, and arrive at Condor Studios for work when, again, I am hounded by the paps. Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I catch sight of a familiar brunette guy, and scowl at his figure as he lifts his hood pushes the sunglasses onto his face. How I wish _I_ had a disguise…

I avoid Chad and head straight towards Chastity, to whom I explain the whole story to. Or at least, the parts I know. I still have no idea why Chad felt the next to _use me _like that. Ugh.

"What a jerk." She scoffs by the end of it, "You okay?"

"Nope." I mumble, and she gives me a concerned frown. I smile softly at her and she smiles back in return.

"Sonny?" I recognise the voice from a couple of nights ago – Alice, Condor's assistant. She tells me to follow her.

"Is this about my audition?" She nods softly, but refuses to tell me anything else as we head towards Mr Condor's office.

Chad's POV

I enter the Mackenzie Falls studio after dropping my Mack stuff off at my dressing room, and almosy immediately my cast, and some of the crew, swarms around me, yelling questions about Tween Weekly last night. they all seem to have assumed, like the rest of the world, that Sonny and I are using each other to cheat on our respective 'significant others'. Chastity, who leads the whole thing, drags me to the side and whacks me on the arm, scowling. Huh, it's weird seeing Chastity scowl.

"What's with the hit?" I exclaim as she hits me for a second time, rubbing my arm as she does so. Ugh, if I bruise…

"I know what's going on." She says sternly, "_You're_ Mack, aren't you?"

When I don't respond and just stare at her with my jaw flapping open, she sighs and carries on, "I saw the picture of you and of Mack on Tween Weekly, and, you know, when you concentrate, it's not hard to spot." She folds her arms, looking furious. I wince. Now I have two of Sonny's protective girl friends on my back? Sheesh.

I somehow regain control of my jaw and my speech. "Chastity, I…"

"Mr Cooper?"

Alice, Mr Condor's assistant approaches me with her mouth in a thin, serious line. She ushers me to follow her. I gulp, giving Chastity an apologetic look. She shakes her head at me, slowly.

"I'm disappointed in you, Chad." She mutters, before slinking off to join the others.

"Am I in trouble?" I ask Alice once Chastity's gone.

She doesn't respond.

* * *

><p>I enter Mr Condor's office and stumble back a little when my eyes land on Sonny sat in one of the chairs in front of Mr Condor's desk. Her head whirls around as the door creaks open and her eyes widen with shock and anger when she sees me, before she shuts down her face emotionally and turns back to listen to Mr Condor.<p>

"Ah, Mr Cooper." Condor motions for me to take a seat, and I take it warily. His cold eyes don't stop glaring at me until I've sat down.

"Right," He says in an announcing tone, "You're both here, so let's get this done."

He sets his hands down on the desk, studying the both of us intensely. I shuffle around uncomfortably in my seat while Sonny stays perfect still. Condor takes a long, deep breath.

"I'm not happy about this." He says gravely, "The mess put about by your little TV appearance on Tween Weekly last night has not gone unnoticed. Miss Munroe, you may not know the score around here much, but Mr Cooper does."

I blink, "I do?"

Condor nods slowly, "Bad press, bad publicity, lower ratings. And when low ratings come about… someone has to go."

My eyes widen uncontrollably, "B-but, Sir, you said I get three chances. This is only my second appearance since…"

"I'm not talking about you." Condor says. The wave of relief is suddenly followed by utter regret as I realise what is actually going on – what we are _here_ for.

"Miss Munroe." Sonny's shoulders tense. Her face looks totally blank, but her eyes portray her inner feelings – pure confusion, anger, grief. I shake my head slowly as Condor speaks, aggravated because I am unable to do anything to stop what he says. "You are a brilliant employee, Sonny, but I'm afraid we need to let you go."

Sonny frowns, "But what about my So Random audition…?"

Condor shakes his head sombrely. The first tear appears in Sonny's brown eyes, and Condor seems to soften up at that. "You were a great applicant, Sonny. And I would've considered you… but the bad press you and Mr Cooper have reflected on the studio does not settle well. We cannot afford to bring you in."

Sonny's lower lip quivers, "I can work for free." She begs, her voice barely a whisper.

"I mean _reputation_-wise, as well as from a financial point of view. I'm sorry, Miss Munroe. Please pack up your things and be gone by lunch."

Sonny stares at Mr Condor with her mouth wide open for a few seconds, before turning her helpless gaze onto me. Her mouth slams shut into a thin line and she scowls furiously, standing. The chair makes a screeching sound as she gets up.

"No, Sonny, wait!" I call to her as she leaves, but she slams the door and she doesn't turn back.

"And you…" Mr Condor's voice is harsh again, "One last chance. Or you're out."

That's not what I'm focused on, though… "Mr Condor, Sonny didn't deserve that…"

Mr Condor raises an eyebrow, "Mr Cooper, that is not your decision to make. What I say goes – I am the head of the studio."

"But it wasn't even her fault!"

His eyes narrow sharply, "Out, Mr Cooper." He says sternly, "_Now_."

Having a similar reaction to Sonny's, I stare open-mouthed at Mr Condor for several seconds, before kicking my chair back and storming out, slamming the door behind me.

"Thanks a lot."

I exit the room, and immediately I am met with Sonny's brown, disappointed, helpless eyes which bore into mine.

"Sonny, I'm so sorry…"

"I don't wanna hear it." She says, holding a hand up to her ear irritably. "In fact… why don't you never speak to me again?"

I rest my hand on her shoulder, but she shoves me off. Tears well up in her eyes and with one last spiteful breath, she whispers hatefully, "You've ruined _everything._"

And then, as she runs off, sobbing, I stand there, and I realise.

I really have.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Aww ;_; Haha I have a sudden obsession with that emoticon :P**

**Now, my ducklings... go and review! I want a lotta love ready for the last chapter next time!**

**Me esta out!**

**~Amy x**

**PS: ...Windows Down... WOO HOO! ;D**


	16. Repairing The Damage

**A/N: Okay... here it is, guys! The FINAL chapter of The Double Life of CDC! Get ready - I have an extra long chapter written for you all to thank you for your amazing continued support. Y'all rock! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D**

**demicrazy - Thank you! :D**

**startrekwarrior12 - Lol, I sure hope it doesn't! :D**

**cabotlove - Thanks for your two reviews :D *thumbs up***

**Enjoy! For the final time in this story... I don't own Sonny with A Chance. xx**

**Here we go.**

* * *

><p><strong>The Double Life of CDC<strong>

**Chapter 16 - Repairing The Damage**

Chad's POV

It _is_ my fault. All of it. There is, really, no-one else to blame.

I created Mack as a disguise. Heck, I didn't even name him at first. But then when he met Sonny, well, I panicked. I mean, what was I supposed to do? Blow my cover and tell her that this guy who was wandering around the studio late at night was just me, Chad Dylan Cooper, the number-one actor that just needed to get the hell away from the press?

I guess I just didn't realise that I'd need Mack again, when I first came up with the idea of having a disguise. I thought I'd need him for that night, and that night only. But that didn't happen - I ended up using him again, and again, and again.

To get close to Sonny.

And now I've wrecked it.

I suppose I knew that I was going to get caught in the end, but I just didn't want that day to come. I kept putting off telling Sonny the truth, because I wanted everything to be okay. And it _was_ okay. Sonny liked Mack - maybe even _loved_ him. She didn't love Chad though – if I'd have approached her as Chad and asked her on a date, she wouldn't have even given me a chance. But Mack? Mack was different. Mack was normal. Mack was kind. Mack was sympathetic and caring and all the things that Chad could never be.

That's the thing - Mack _wasn't_ Chad. Mack wasn't some narcissistic, selfish, rude actor who only cared about himself and saving his own sorry butt.

And that's why Sonny liked him.

My dressing room turns out to be a safe place for me in that awful morning. Sonny is out there, saying her goodbyes, packing away her stuff, and telling everyone, remorsefully, that if she doesn't get a job to help her mom pay for their apartment, then they'll be moving back to Wisconsin, and label the whole coming-to-Hollywood-because-it's-where-dreams-are-made thing as a failure.

At one time, in a moment of guilt, I approach Sonny, whose cheeks are slightly damp from tears. I fish something out of my wallet and subtly pass it to her, hoping to get away before she can question me.

"Chad?"

Too late.

I turn around slowly, staring at my shoes.

"Hi." I say quietly with a stupid little don't-hate-me smile. Sonny shakes her head.

"Didn't I tell you never to come near me again?" She says, her eyes dropping to the wad of cash in her hands.

"Actually, you said I should never _speak to you _again."

"Which you're doing." She says sternly.

"Hey, hey, you started it." I say with a slightly arrogant smirk. Sonny rolls her eyes.

"Go away."

I shrug, "'Kay."

I whirl back around only to do a whole three-sixty when Sonny says, "Wait." I exhale.

"What's up?"

Her eyes are fixed on the money as she leafs her fingers through each note with her tongue stuck out, "What the heck is this for?"

I shrug again, "Well, it's kind of my fault that you got fired…" I admit, biting my lip, "I want to make up for it. That should get you through a little while. You can stick around longer, maybe get a job-"

"Chad, there's five hundred dollars in here." She says, finally looking up at me, eyebrows raised. I give her a small smile.

"I dropped off at the ATM this morning." I say with a light chuckle. She scowls at me, dropping her voice.

"If you think that this is some cheap- well- _expensive _trick that'll get me to take you back after the whole _Mack _incident…"

I scoff, "Five hundred bucks ain't _expensive _when you're the number one tween actor, Sonny."

Sonny shakes her head, "I'm not taking your money. And I'm certainly not taking you back."

I roll my eyes, "You're so stubborn."

"And you're a jerk." Sonny retorts, "Seriously, Chad, why do you even _want _to help me? Especially when I don't _want _your help…"

I take her hand and kiss it softly, resulting in her pulling away and growling. I continue, regardless.

"Just because you hate me even more now doesn't mean I'm gonna treat you any different to what I _– Mack – _did."

Sonny stares at me for a long moment, calculating, before her mouth snaps into a hard, cold line and her eyes narrow.

"I'm not a charity, Chad." She snaps, "And I don't need you holding my hand every time my life messes up." She sighs, "Just stop talking to me!"

She turns away and storms off, with the money still there, forgotten in her grip.

* * *

><p>After that whole episode, I find myself in my dressing room – my whole 'safe haven' that I mentioned earlier. It's the perfect place to hide from everyone's accusing glares and Sonny's little poutfrown/scowl thing that emerges onto her face whenever she catches sight of me. Surprisingly, though, she still hasn't given back the money. It's now sat carefully somewhere in the bottom of her handbag.

Ha. Not a charity _indeed_.

The one thing I don't expect to happen, is when Tawni from So Random bursts into my dressing room while I'm wandering around aimlessly and starts beating my chest repetitively with her fists.

"You _monster_!" She yells at me, as if I've committed murder. Well, I suppose in her eyes, I've done just that. I've murdered her best friend's chance of staying in Hollywood, I guess.

She shoves a small pile of paper into my hand, which is open and twitching slightly from shock. Unable to do much else, I glance down at my palm. The money. "Sonny doesn't need your charity!" She spits in my face, "Just… leave her alone! For the miniscule time that she has left, make sure you never speak to her again!"

My mouth suddenly feels dry, "Miniscule…?"

Tawni's face scrunches up in anger, "She's leaving next week, because she doesn't want your money and she can't bear to stick around! And it's all. Your. Fault."

I groan, "After being told pretty much fifty times, I already know, Tawni. Now I just want to make things right."

Tawni scoffs, placing a hand on her hip, "And how are you going to do _that? _I mean, you're probably gonna just do something that'll make things even worse, and even if you think of something decent, your weirdo girlfriend won't let you go through with it."

I just give her an innocent smile, "Well, then, I need to find some way to get rid of my weirdo girlfriend, don't I?"

* * *

><p>So, the plan to save Sonny's Hollywood dreams (and my chances of getting her back) is thought up, in three simple stages:<p>

1. Get rid of Portlyn so her stalker-eyes aren't on me.

2. Get Sonny her job back, and,

3. Get Sonny back.

And, by the way, I swear, no matter how much I screwed up, the one person who hasn't left my side is Portlyn. The one who caused this entire mess in the first place.

She flings her arms around me, almost like the last few days never happened.

"Aw, Baby Cakes," She coos (I'm being serious with the nickname, by the way. Ew), "I am reeeaaaally glad that that _skank_ broke up with you!" She shoots a dark look in Sonny's direction. I peek over Portlyn's shoulder to see the beautiful brunette, who is glancing around at each part of the set, like she's saying her goodbyes. Well, it is noon, almost, when Mr Condor told her she had to be out by. And today is her last day. _Ever_.

But not if I can help it, though.

"Portlyn, why don't you just-"

"Awh, don't worry, babe, I forgive you!" She babbles on, her snake-like arms stroking my hair. I tremble in slight fear. She kisses my cheek and that's when I push her away. She doesn't back out, though. Seriously, why won't this girl go away?

"But _I_ don't forgive _you_, Portlyn."

The monster gives me a totally faked pout, "But… but why? What did your poor, innocent-"

"You're far from _innocent_, Port." I pretty much spit in her face, "You're the one who gave Tween Weekly that footage. You got Sonny fired, and you got me in trouble with her. So, really, as much as this is all my fault – it's also _yours._"

Cutting the guiltless act, she puts a manicured hand on her waist and pulls a face, "So what? I don't care. What are you gonna do about it?"

I return her comment with a deriding smirk, having set up phase 1 of my plan already. Almost like it's been mapped out perfectly, Mr Condor storms in the room, his face fuming, with Portlyn's distinctive too-bright make-up that no-one else in the whole studio in it's container in his hand. He scans the room for a few seconds, before his eyes land on Portlyn and me. He marches up, his eyes not leaving Portlyn. She shuffles awkwardly on the spot as he gives her the stink eye.

"Miss Madison, _why_ is your make-up covering _every inch_ of my office?"

At this moment, Chastity walks behind Mr Condor. She gives me a small wave and winks behind his back, and I smile a little. See, I asked Chastity to help, because as much as she despises me for what I did to Sonny, she desperately will do anything to try and get her back. Even if it means helping me get rid of my evil clingy girlfriend by finding her make-up and squirting every piece of it onto every inch of Mr Condor's office. I bet the place looks like it was invaded by fourteen year old girly-girls. You know, no offence to any fourteen year old girly girls out there.**  
><strong>

"Uhh…" Seeming to have lost her speech, Portlyn just stutters, and I have to disguise my laughs behind my hand.

"YOU ARE FIRED!" Mr Condor yells, before turning and marching away. Portlyn's jaw drops open.

"That's not fair!" She squeaks. Mr Condor turns back around, watching her angrily. "Chad got three chances and you're firing me for something as stupid as that?"

Condor sighs, calming down a little. "That said, Miss Madison." He nods, "Mr Cooper is a much better actor than you, and quite frankly, I've been receiving complaints about you flirting with many of the male staff." And with that, he turns one last time and storms out. Portlyn whirls to face me, pointing at my face.

"You- _You_…"

I give her a wink and pat her on the shoulder, "Have fun finding another job, _Baby Cakes."_

Phase one – complete. And now to Condor's office for phase two…

* * *

><p>After waiting a couple of hours to let Condor cool down after the whole Portlyn's make-up disaster-thing, I arrive outside his office, and knock gingerly on the door.<p>

"Enter!" The voice from the inside calls. I count to three in my head before opening the door. Luckily, as I presumed, the whole room as pretty much been cleared of the make-up. A small group of workers are hurrying around with dustpans and spray and cloths, wiping and spraying and removing any evidence of Portlyn's make-up (shall we say) explosion. A tall brunette is dusting the wall to my left, which has a coat of blusher and foundation slapped on it, and a short, dark-haired man with glasses is scrubbing the pictures and awards on the back wall, which have been drawn over with eyeliner pencils and lipstick, the highest of which he can't reach. In the middle of it all is Mr Condor, sat at his desk and wearing his usual scowl like nothing's really out of the usual.

"Uh, hi, Mr Condor." I say cautiously, trying not to upset and annoy the man, stepping over a dark-haired woman who is scrubbing the floor. His eyes narrow when he sees me.

"Mr Cooper, what are you doing here?" He asks in his superior tone, "Shouldn't you be rehearsing right now?"

I shake my head, "Because of Portlyn's firing, the writers have to rewrite the script." I say apologetically before he takes a deep breath to lecture me. He stares at me for a few seconds, before nodding.

"Very well…" He says, gesturing to the seat in front of the desk. "You may all go now." He announces to the workers, who sigh quietly in relief. The short guy, unsuccessful in his attempts to reach the highest awards, grumbles and dumps his cloth on the desk, before the whole team leave, slamming the door behind them. Ugh. Mr Condor must've been giving them a hard time.

"So," Mr Condor's loud voice bellows, snapping back my attention, "what seems to be the problem, Chad?"

I think about what I was going to say long and hard. I don't really want this to cause me to get fired, thanks.

"Uh, Mr Condor…" I say, flashing him my signature smile. Sucking up. He doesn't move an inch. "…Sir…" I add as a formality, clearing my throat. "I was just thinking, uh…"

"Spit it out, Cooper." Condor snaps, folding his arms. Ah, so he must still be in one of his livid stages of his mood swings – so, like, the stages he's always in.

Gritting my teeth together, trying to make it look something like a close resemblance to a smile, I count to three in my mind and exhale a large breath. "See, I was thinking… since you've fired two people today…" I huff, "maybe – maybe – you should… hire someone?" My voice squeaks at the last words. Mr Condor's eyes narrow.

"Where are you going with this, Cooper?"

"Um, maybe, since you said to Sonny about how you couldn't hire her for financial reasons and you have one less person to pay-"

"_Chad._"

I bite my lip and sigh, "Can you hire Sonny again?" I wait for some kind of reaction. As in, for him to yell at me or something. I sort of flinch a little, expecting him to tell me to get out and that I'm fired.

Everything plays out totally differently though. Condor just blinks, sitting back in his seat. "Why?" He asks slowly, anticipating my answer. I think he's just humouring me.

"Well, she- she deserved her job…"

He snorts a little, "As an assistant?"

"As a _Random._" I correct him, adding, "Sir," again for good effect.

Condor blinks, "I never gave Miss Munroe the job at So Random…"

"Probably because you never gave her a chance." I say. He scowls at me for interrupting. I shrug apologetically.

"Because Miss Munroe would've brought nothing but bad press to the studio." Mr Condor says, "The ratings would've plummeted!"

Unable to contain my confusion/anger any more, my voice rises when I next speak. "But _why? _I don't _get it. How _could Sonny have caused the ratings to drop?"

"I told you, Mr Cooper – the bad press that Miss Munroe and yourself reflected on the studio showed that you perhaps are quite _close_, even though the two of you are in relationships-"

"Not anymore." I spit, "I broke up with Portlyn for showing Tween Weekly the footage, and Sonny and Mack are… not _together_." I choke on the last two words.

"Do not interrupt me, Mr-" Suddenly, Condor cuts himself off, "What did you say?"

"…Portlyn gave the footage of me talking to Sonny to Tween Weekly?" He nods. "Yeah. That's what I said. And that means, really, it's her fault that we got that bad press."

I know the look in his eye the next second. It reads 'traitor'. "Well, it's a good thing she is now fired." He comments, "She should be, too, for selling out her own cast member."

I smile slightly. Huh, it's nice to see that Condor has a bit of a conscience, and a heart. I didn't think that was possible. "So… does that mean you'll hire Sonny back?"

Condor pulls a face in thought.

"Oh, please, sir!" I start to beg, "Sonny didn't deserve to get fired – and surely, she was amazing at her audition, right?"

Condor shuffles in his seat, "Right."

"Well- then- Sir, she deserves that job."

"But, Mr Cooper. If the two of you are creating tension in the studio-"

"Fire me."

Condor's eyes snap up at me. "I beg your pardon?"

I sigh, knowing that there's no going back. "I doubt that the press will continue to be bad now that Sonny and I are single. Maybe people will even like us. But, if it makes you feel more comfortable to only have one of us in the studio, well, then… I'd like that one to be Sonny."

And then he looks at me. Just looks at me, for a long, hard moment. He intakes a breath and I wait impatiently for his response…

Sonny's POV

There's something in the air. I don't know what it is, but the manner in The Patio is tense and cold and just down in general. Mel wanders from table to table, handing out drinks, but she isn't smiling as bright as usual when she hands them over, making some cool comment to charm the customers like she loves to do. The Randoms, Chastity from The Falls, and I are all sat around one large table in the centre of the café. Its sofas and chairs and tables are bright and cool and funky, and that's what I love about The Patio – but that, in no way, reflects anyone's moods. See, The Randoms are all busy for the rest of the week, as is Chastity – Tawni is the only one who can make time for me before I go back to Wisconsin next Tuesday (well, she's my best friend. She's not gonna let me go without taking me on one of her girl's-days-out), and so this is kind of like my _goodbye _to the group. The fact that this is our last chance together as a group really is disheartening. I loathe myself and the people – or maybe just singular _person _– who caused my leaving.

Mel joins us at her table – she asked her boss for the rest of the evening break and he politely agreed, and so here we are. For the last time.

Well, that's depressing.

No-one really knows what to say. We sit in silence, for a few seconds.

"We'll miss you Sonny." Mel mumbles. The others murmur clumsily in agreement, and my gaze lands on Tawni, who has tears in her eyes. I frown, giving her a soft, awkward hug. It doesn't _feel _right_. _My Hollywood dream wasn't supposed to _end_ this way. Not now. Not when I've only just dipped my toe into the water. No, no, I want to dive in, experience the full thing before getting out of the pool.

I'm not _done. _

But I don't have a choice, do I?

"Sonny, are you sure you don't need a drink?" Mel asks me concernedly. I rejected her offer politely earlier, but now my lips feel dry and I'm starting to regret it.

"A water, please." I say, my voice croaky. Mel nods gently and gets up, only to stop in her tracks when her gaze meets the door.

"Looks like you have company." She says spitefully. We all follow her gaze and just about everyone on the table gasps in shock. Tawni chokes on her drink and while Nico pats her back I just sit there with my mouth wide open at the sight of none other than Chad Dylan Cooper himself. The one who started this whole mess. And he's stood only feet away, _staring at me. _He struts into the room, pushing some guy who gets in his way, his eyes not blinking, not leaving me. He runs a hand through his hair and I can tell just by that look in his eye that he's infuriated.

But not by any of us. No. Possibly by _himself. _

Oh, gosh.

And would it just make things worse to say that he looks remarkably hot when he's angry? _Yes, it would, Sonny! Shut up! _

When Chad reaches our table, his lips start to twitch. He's trying to smile. Nico and Grady, protectively, form a wall in front of me with their bodies, their shoulders just about touching so that from Chad's side, only the top half of my head would be in view. Tawni and Mel stand either side of Chad, almost like their taunting him, and Chastity and Zora mull at the side, shuffling uncomfortably like they don't quite know where to go, what to do. Chad's hands drop by his sides and flop uselessly.

"I can see already that I'm not wanted." He murmurs, his feet shuffling against the lino ground. I stop looking at him for a second and realise that pretty much every eye in the whole room – even those of the staff – are fixed on us.

"Damn right, you're not." Tawni spits into Chad's right ear, "Why don't you just get out of here, so we don't cause a scene."

Chad's eyes wander left, and then right, and then he frowns. "It seems we already have done so…"

"Whatever." Tawni snaps, "My point is, leave, or we're going to have to force you to."

"Not until I've talked to Sonny." He says, looking directly at me. My heart thumps erratically in my chest. _Oh gosh…_

"Well, she doesn't _want_ to talk to you!" Tawni scoffs, staring at Chad like he's dirt on her shoe, "Haven't you done _enough _damage already?"

Chad moans, running his hand through his hair again, "Can't I just talk to her?"

"No." Mel scoffs. The rest of my little 'security' give a synchronised nod of the head, and Chad's shoulders immediately slump. I don't know why, but the gesture makes me feel slight guilt.

"No, it's okay, guys." I say, raising my arms in surrender and pushing gently passed Nico and Grady, who gawk at me. "This won't take long, anyway. Right, Chad?"

Chad bites his lip, "Right."

"Right." I say softly, nodding. Slowly, my friends back away, their eyes fixed on us the whole way. When they're about fifteen feet away, Chad opens his mouth to speak.

"Sonny-"

"What do you want?" My voice squeaks on 'want' and I kick myself mentally. Nicely done.

"Sonny, I talked to Mr Condor last night, and-"

"Mr Condor?" My jaw drops open. Chad nods. "Chad, why are you telling me this? You know I got fired from the studio…"

I turn to go back to my friends, but Chad won't let me.

"It's about your job." He says, reaching for my arm. I flinch out of his reach, looking over my shoulder.

"…I got _fired._"

"I'm talking about So Random."

I scoff. Chad's obviously gone crazy. "I never got a job at So Random."

Chad smiles impishly. "Now, are you sure about that?" He then reaches into his pocket, fiddles with his phone, and passes me it. Tween Weekly mobile app is on the screen, along with a picture of the 'So Random' logo and a picture of… me? I look up Chad, gawking, and he smirks.

"Just keep reading."

Unable to reply, I drop my eyes back down to the screen

_**Calling all Randomites!**_

_They've done it, people! The people at the world-renown tween TV company _CondorStudios _have kept us waiting long enough for a new cast member, and it seems negotiations are in progress! The head of the studios is interested in a girl named **Sonny Munroe** – remember? The girl who we first met as **Chad Dylan Cooper's** potential new squeeze? Well, she's back in the headlines! And, before you start throwing rotten tomatoes at her, we have confirmation from Cooper himself that the girl is perfectly innocent in this whole Chad-Portlyn break-up shindig. Cooper takes responsibility for the whole break-up himself, and it seems that our sources are convinced Miss Madison herself is fired! Cooky, huh?_

_And as for Munroe – she is single, it seems. Cooper has confirmed that the boy she was seen with last week in Hollywood Aquarium was just a cousin, who lives in Minnesota and has returned home._

_So, that leaves just two questions! One – will Sonny get her dream job on So Random? And two – are there as many sparks between her and the shining Condor Studios star Chad Dylan Cooper? You can bet that we'll be the first to give you the deets on this new potential star!_

Chad takes the phone from my hand, giving me a small grin. Somehow recovering from some kind of frozen state, I start to speak. "I've… got a part on So Random?"

Chad shrugs, "If you want it."

I smile gently. I… have a part on So Random? I can stay in Hollywood! Near Tawni and the other Randoms and Chastity and- and- and _Chad_.

Wait.

I scowl at Chad, who is moving closer to me. "So you think you can just waltz on in here and tell me that I have a part on that show and then I'll just forgive you like that and take you b- _Mmm_!"

His lips press against mine, and he embraces me in a long hug, that I can't break away from. Even if he wasn't holding me, I'm too frozen to even think about moving. Slowly, so slowly, I recover from my frozen position, and I kiss him back, folding my arms around him as he rakes his hands through my hair. The kiss feels so different to the last time I kissed him – it feels right. Now that I know I'm not a cheater, I can just enjoy the kiss…

And it's surely the best I've ever had.

Chad pulls away first; he's grinning.

"So I suppose that means you forgive me? And, you'll date me?"

I pull a thoughtful face – somehow all my bitterness towards Chad has melted. "Depends…" I say, "Are you going to wear a disguise?"

He shakes his head.

"Do I have to wear a disguise?"

"No."

"Do we have to-"

"Just you, me, on a date." He says, rolling his eyes and kissing my hand. I blush crimson. "Sound like a plan?"

I smile, kissing him on the cheek.

"Sure."

Chad's POV

Things just keep on improving around Condor Studios, after Sonny accepts the part on So Random. Of course, Mr Condor didn't fire me when he gave Sonny the part - since neither of us were in relationships anymore, he said that we could probably get away with dating in the public eye. And with Sonny's status as the 'peacekeeper' and my girlfriend – my _actual _girlfriend, not my disguise's girlfriend – the rivalry between our two shows has been almost completely silenced. That could, also, have something to do with the fact that Portlyn the bitchy blabbermouth is gone. And where is she now? I honestly have no idea. And I don't care. After all, Sonny and I are the new 'it' couple.

Straight after Sonny's first show on So Random, all the haters seemed to forget that she was apparently the reason that the previous so-called 'it' couple broke up, and besides, there's something so much better with this 'it' couple.

This couple is _real. _With Portlyn and I, there was nothing but pure publicity stunts, and, from Portlyn's side, lust. With Sonny and I, it's not like that. We really, really like each other – not just for the looks aspect (cos, c'mon, we're both pretty attractive people), but warts and all. In fact, soon, that liking each other may develop into _love, _someday_. _I sure hope so, anyway.

Four weeks exactly after Sonny forgave me, rehearsals finish and Sonny, pretty much knowing my schedule off by heart, skips in, saying "Happy four week-iversary, Chad!"

This happens to be the moment when Ferguson, Chastity, and Skyler (who, by the way, is not so much of a moron anymore. You know. Sorta. Now that Portlyn's left, he's stopped shooting seductive eyes at every girl – I think it woke him to the fact that he could get fired any second), having found my old 'Mack' wig, chucking it at each other like some kind of Piggy In The Middle game from elementary school days. Having finally caught it, I plop it under my butt and threaten them to take it from under me.

"I'm good, dude." Ferg says, pulling a face. Sonny giggles.

"Aw, Chad, why're you sat on poor Mack?"

"It's warm down there." I shrug, and Chastity and Skyler moan.

"TMI, dude!" Skyler proclaims in disgust. I roll my eyes.

"So, how'd it go, escaping from the grasp of the cast?" I ask Sonny with a grin. She laughs. Her cast have been… slow to accept the whole 'dating' thing. Slower than mine, anyway. Especially Tawni, who's still really protective of her best friend. But, under all the protectiveness, I think she's just thankful that I helped her best friend stay.

"They weren't bad. Didn't call me a traitor this time!"

"Ah, we're improving then." I say. She grins, kissing me on the cheek.

"I suppose. It doesn't matter, though." She kisses me on the other cheek. "I only date the people I really like. They can't stop me."

I grin. She 'really likes' me. _Really likes me. _

"Now… get off of Mack and let's get to lunch!"

Smirking, I get up and place the wig on my head. Sonny pouts when she sees me.

"Aww, what did you do with Chad?" She sobs. I laugh.

"Surely you didn't want that jerk sticking around anymore."

Sonny giggles once more, hugging me softly. "Yes, I do." She whispers, "Because he's my boyfriend and I love him."

_She loves him._

My cheeks widen stupidly, into a large grin. I remove the wig and give her a large kiss on the cheek.

"And he loves you too."

* * *

><p><strong>FIN<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ta da! Aww, that's it, then! It's over! How'd y'all like it? Good? Bad? I sure hope you loved it!**

**Please, because I love y'all, shower m'baby with a bunch of reviews to send him on his way and then I'll be happy ;D**

**I hope you guys enjoyed yet another work from the mind of Amy MusicChannySkyscraper! Lol ;D**

**See y'all around! I have a bunch of stuff planned for these next two weeks before I go on holiday to France - I hope to upload QTO, LWMS, and a one-shot before next Friday. Ha, that won't happen :P**

**Bye! Remember reviews!**

**~Amy x**


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